After the phenomenal success of Saiyaara, starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda under Mohit Suri’s direction, comparisons were bound to happen. The film, which many speculated was inspired by the Korean drama A Moment To Remember, proved to be a major box-office hit despite the rumours. Now, a new wave of speculation surrounds Kartik Aaryan and Sreeleela’s upcoming romantic drama helmed by Anurag Basu — with many claiming it's stylistically and thematically similar to Saiyaara.

However, sources close to the production have firmly dismissed the buzz. “They are two different beasts,” a source revealed, explaining that Basu’s film is nothing like Mohit Suri’s. “Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara is as different from Anurag Basu’s film as Bimal Roy’s Devdas is from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s version. Yes, both films feature a wounded protagonist whose life changes through love — but that’s a universal theme seen in numerous stories, from Aashiqui 2 to the recent Malayalam film DNA.”

The insider also noted that the only common ground lies in the tragic-romantic space the films explore, a territory many filmmakers revisit through their own lens. “Every doomed love story somewhere connects back to Devdas. But each one tells its own story.”

The source further revealed that Basu had temporarily put the Kartik-Sreeleela project on hold to focus on completing Metro... In Dino. “Now that it’s done, the film will resume. Kartik’s role in this is a new-age Devdas, but unlike anything we’ve seen before. This is not your typical suffering lover.”

Fans can expect something fresh and emotionally charged — but definitely not a remake or a shadow of Saiyaara.