Mumbai, Oct. 25 -- At 9:30 am, a completely full multiplex theatre is a rarity. Unbelievable, too. But 18 July was a surprise, particularly since I wasn't at the PVR cinema in Mumbai's City Mall, Andheri, to watch a global superhero hit or a Shah Rukh Khan film.

Instead, I was there for the opening of Saiyaara, a simple musical romance. That day, the theatre was overflowing with teens and young adults.

When the theatre lights went down, the debut performances by Aneet Padda and Ahaan Panday delivered a rare emotional punch, mixing intense laughter with moments that brought the audience to tears.

"Where do they make boys like him these days?" murmured one teenage viewer to her neighbour in the dark, as Krish Kapoor (played by Panday) pr...