Record breaker.
At least that’s how it’s being marketed.
Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda’s Saiyaara continues its golden run, now on Netflix.
After becoming the second most profitable Hindi film of 2025 theatrically, it clocked 3.7 million viewerships and 9.3 million hours watched in its debut week on the platform, ranking sixth among Hindi films this year and topping Netflix’s global non-English charts.
But here’s the catch.
Saiyaara’s OTT triumph may not be just about the film’s merit. The lack of proper communication around debut week calculations often creates inflated buzz. Netflix counts weekly numbers irrespective of the exact release day, meaning a film arriving mid-week still claims a “debut week” record. For audiences, this makes every success sound like a historic one, without clarity on the context.
Yes, Saiyaara deserves applause. Yet, its so-called “record-breaking” tag reflects how streaming platforms frame data rather than pure audience choice.
But again, can we really complain about it?
No.
Marketing will always play a big part in entertainment, especially movies. So, even if you are mislead, even if you are hurt, this is the normal anyways.
Also, if you are a movie buff, and love numbers…let us get the stats for you.
Jewel Thief: 7.8 Million
Raid 2: 5.6 Million
Sikandar: 5.1 Million
Dhoom Dhaam | Jaat: 4.1 Million
Nadaaniyan: 3.9 Million
Saiyaara: 3.7 Million
Aap Jaisa Koi | Inspector Zende: 3.4 Million
Deva: 2.8 Million
Chhaava | Tehran: 2.2 Million
Maa: 1.7 Million
These are the top 10 debut week viewership of Hindi films on Netflix that arrived in the year 2025 as a streaming original or after a theatrical release and took a spot in the top 10 films of that week globally.
So, does Saiyaara’s number look that impressive now?