Debutant Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda have bagged the IMDb ‘Breakout Star STARmeter’ awards for their romantic hit ‘Saiyaara’. In the Mohit Suri directorial, Panday plays the role of Krish Kapoor, an emotionally complex musician while Padda plays a budding journalist, Vaani Batra, who aids Krish through writing songs.

Their romance and the challenges that come with it forms the basic premise of ‘Saiyaara’. According to a PTI report, the pair received the awards based on their performance on IMDb’s Popular Indian Celebrities rankings, which measures engagement from the platform’s global user base.

The duo had topped IMDb’s popularity rankings since the romance-drama released on July 18. The two stars have surpassed India, with both performers landing in the global top 100  — Padda at 64 and Panday at 75.

Panday said the award marks the first of his career and “the fact that it comes directly from audiences makes it all the more special”. He also thanked Yash Raj Films, Aditya Chopra and Suri who he called the “best mentor”.

“IMDb was a portal for me to lose myself into world cinema. To be mentioned on it, to be a part of it, to be honoured by it, and to know that I’m up there somewhere, would have been something that a 12-year-old on his box computer could never have fathomed, but always dreamed of,” Pandey said.

“Sharing this award with my co-star Aneet makes this achievement even more special. She deserves not only this but the world. For now, I want to focus on my journey ahead,” he added.

Padda, who thanked IMDb for the “meaningful recognition”, a career first for her as well, said, “I’m delighted that ‘Saiyaara’ and my performance in it has resonated with audiences worldwide, which has led to my winning the IMDb ‘Breakout Star’ STARmeter Award. Winning an accolade that is driven by audiences makes this truly a meaningful recognition. I’m thrilled to have entertained people with a performance that has touched them.”.

Padda dedicated the award to the cast and crew of the film and thanked Chopra and Suri for their belief in her. She also praised her co-star Pandey. The Suri-directed ‘Saiyaara’” has earned over Rs 500 crore at the box office since release. Suri has also directed films like ‘Zeher’, ‘Aashiqui 2’ and ‘Ek Villain’.