Mohit Suri called up Mahesh Bhatt at 6 AM to discuss father-son confrontation scene in 'Saiyaara'- Exclusive

Mohit Suri has been climbing the charts of Bollywood since he turned 22 and now after 20 years in the business he has seen the pinnacle of success with his latest film Saiyaara starring newcomers like Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda which has become the second biggest hit of the year and 24th biggest hit of Hindi Cinema beating Kartik Aaryan's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. One regular companion with him in this journey has been his uncle Mahesh Bhatt. But it has been more than 10 years since the two of them collaborated on a film.


In an exclusive interview with ETimes, Mohit opened up about his equation with his uncle. He said , “ I talk to him all the time. I messaged him on father's day also, I was in Japan at that time. He had written a really nice article about his relationship with Raj Khosla Saab who was his mentor and the article was about the mentor-protege relationship.He sent me that article, I have framed it in my office. We have that equation.”


Suri explains that Bhatt doesn’t get involved in the day-to-day mechanics of filmmaking. “He doesn’t believe shooting is directing films. He believes in shaping a personality and a voice in you.” This philosophy, says Suri, is what has allowed filmmakers like Anurag Basu, Kunal Deshmukh, Vikram Bhatt, and himself to each evolve distinct cinematic identities under Bhatt’s guidance. “It’s like he sharpens every diamond separately,” he says, “a different polishing process for each of us, and then lets us shine in our own way.”

This mentorship, rooted in emotional honesty rather than technical direction, became especially important to Suri during a vulnerable moment on set. Recounting a pivotal father-son confrontation scene in Saiyaara where Ahaan grows violent with his father played by Varun Badola, Suri admits feeling uncertain about the tone he was about to strike. “Am I getting too dramatic? Too dark?” he wondered, aware of the values and sensitivities of the production house he was working with.

At 6 in the morning, he made a call. “I called up Bhatt Saab,” he says. “I didn’t even tell him anything about the scene. I just said, I’m feeling afraid.” What followed was classic Mahesh Bhatt—brutally honest, deeply personal. Bhatt noticed Suri’s WhatsApp display picture was a photo of his hand holding his son’s. “He said, if you have a picture like this as your DP, you can never shoot this scene wrong. Because you love that relationship.”

Those words struck home. Suri went on to shoot the scene not with fear, but with faith—in his own emotional compass, and in the power of storytelling that Bhatt had instilled in him. “The basic emotion of what the director wants to do will be communicated rightly,” Bhatt had said. That was all the reassurance he needed.