Is Saiyaara movie a Masterclass in Audience Targeting and Viral Marketing!
First thing first - Saiyaara movie has done exceptionally well in spite of having a limited target audience due to its “Romantic Genre”. Generally, the audience for Romantic Genre is limited as full families do not go for such movies and the viewing is restricted to young couples.
How many people have actually Viewed Saiyaara?
In theaters - It has done over 570 Cr worth of business and has been watched by around 27 Mn viewers in India in theatres over its 5-6 weeks of running on Box Office. It has been recently released on the Steaming Partner - Netflix where it is making huge waves. It has been watched by 5.5 Mn viewers in the first few days and is already on 9th Spot in “Global Viewership Charts” and Number 1 in “Non English” movies.
Success Mantra
The movie did not cater to all the audiences. It did not intend to become a mass entertainer and identified a smaller target segment and then created content which resonated really really well with that audience.
Its main audience segment was:
GenZ and young Millennials (which is ~40% of India’s movie going audience) and this audience is highly active on social media platforms
What was served to this audience:
Top notch Romantic songs: Its top song Saiyaara has over 400 Mn views on Youtube and people just loved it. Top two comments on the song clearly establish that audience wanted this kind of music content. These songs sparked off thousands of reels from smaller and bigger influencers alike.
Story of Unconditional and Pure love: This is the kind of love that everyone would give their hands and legs for. GenZ audience’s concept of love is very different and they are seeing this kind of Pure Love story for the first time so it was very unique concept for them. This sparked off those “crying reels” which made the movie go viral.
The movie achieved both Point 1 and 2 to perfection leading to highly positive commentary, word of mouth and online content.
Of course, they chose to go overboard on both and this led to antagonization of a certain portion of the audience which trolled the movie.
So they achieved the Holy Grail - everybody had a Strong Opinion on the movie - Good or Bad. And wanted to express it.
This is exactly what we should aspire from every product.
Social Media Buzz
Approximately 200,000+ reels and shorts related to Saiyaara were created on platforms like Instagram and TikTok fueled by emotional scenes and popular songs from the movie.
Estimated overall reach - 1 Billion Views
(would have costed Rs. 20-30 Crore if it was Paid for).
75-80% of the content was positive, and 20-25% negative
Estimated Reach of Trolling Reels
Approximately 25,000 to 30,000 trolling reels were created about Saiyaara on social media platforms, mainly focusing on mocking emotional reactions and fanfare surrounding the movie.
Average reach per trolling reel can vary widely, but a conservative estimate would be around 1,000 to 3,000 viewers per reel, given that some gained moderate virality while others had limited viewership.
Using a midpoint of about 2,000 viewers per trolling reel, total reach is estimated at roughly 50 to 60 million viewers across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
In summary, the trolling reels numbered in the tens of thousands and reached tens of millions, representing a smaller but impactful segment of the overall social media conversation about Saiyaara.
Audience Segments Who Loved Saiyaara
Gen Z and Young Millennials: This segment, active on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, embraced the movie for its emotional potency and shareable content, making Saiyaara a cultural moment in their circles.
Romantic Drama Enthusiasts: Viewers traditionally drawn to Bollywood love stories found Saiyaara’s earnest narrative and music deeply satisfying, renewing interest in the genre.
Family Audiences: The movie’s relatively wholesome romantic theme and emotional depth made it popular for family viewing occasions.
Music Lovers: Saiyaara’s soundtrack became a significant pull, with several songs becoming anthems for youth, driving both streaming and viral user content.
Audience Segments Who Disliked Saiyaara
Viewers Preferring Realistic or Grittier Content: Some viewers found Saiyaara’s highly melodramatic and emotional storyline overly sentimental or unrealistic, especially those accustomed to intense or socially driven cinema.
Critics of Predictability and Remake Aspects: A section of critics and viewers criticized the film for its predictable plot and perceived similarities to the Korean film "A Moment to Remember," leading to claims of lack of originality.
Skeptics of Social Media Hype: Some audience members and industry watchers expressed skepticism about the viral emotional reactions circulating online, alleging that some scenes and fan reactions were staged or amplified by clever PR tactics.
Viewers Expecting High Production Values: Those seeking grand production scale or intense action elements were often disappointed by Saiyaara’s simpler, emotional narrative style.
Reviews across different platforms
The movie has 6883 ratings on Google. Some standout facts:
Strong Polarization in 5 star and 1 star reviews: 1500+ One star reviews and 4500+ Five star reviews
Very high percentage of users (36%) have written a review
Saiyaara has received the following ratings on Netflix and related platforms:
Netflix User Ratings: While exact Netflix-specific rating data isn't publicly detailed, the film has garnered widespread positive user reactions on Netflix since its streaming debut, consistently placing in the top 10 global viewership charts.
IMDb: Saiyaara holds a solid audience score of around 6.5/10 on IMDb, reflecting generally favorable viewer opinions and debut performances praised.
Rotten Tomatoes:
Tomatometer (Critics score): 67% (Fresh)
Audience score: 90% (Highly positive reception among viewers) with over 250 verified ratings.
Additional Audience Feedback:
Many reviews and social media comments echo a strong emotional connection to the film's music, performances, and story, with fans appreciating its classic Bollywood romantic drama style.
Learning
It is never good to have a neutral reaction on your product. The audience/user base should be either VERY happy with the product even if there is another segment which is really unhappy with the product. The Happy segment can be very small (even in Hundreds) to start with but can be increased slowly.
What matters initially is feedback on the product so that it can be improved. And users who like the product OKish would never give enough feeedback. Playing safe is never an option and we should never keep that as an option.
Here, in Saiyaara’s case - the love and hate was so much that both sides of the audience created a lot of content for the product. This movie did not have a lot of buzz initially but it was able to sustain the numbers into next few weeks basis the content circulating across other social media channels.
Key Learnings for a Tech Product Person
Leverage Emotional Engagement: Saiyaara’s success showed that deeply emotional content resonates powerfully with users. Tech products should focus on creating meaningful emotional connections to drive engagement and loyalty, whether through storytelling, design, or user experience.
Harness Organic and Viral Growth: The movie thrived largely on user-generated social media content like reels and memes rather than traditional heavy marketing. Tech products can similarly benefit from fostering organic viral growth by enabling easy sharing and community-driven promotion.
Target Core User Segments Precisely: Saiyaara’s focused appeal to Gen Z and romantic drama fans highlights the power of tailored messaging and feature sets that deeply connect with defined user personas rather than trying to be everything to everyone.
Minimal but Smart Marketing: Minimalistic yet creative marketing that leverages digital platforms and emotional storytelling can outperform large-budget campaigns. Tech products should invest intelligently in marketing efforts that amplify authentic user stories rather than generic ads.
Embrace Nostalgia & Familiarity: The film’s nostalgic return to classic Bollywood romance tapped into unmet user desires. Similarly, tech products can innovate by blending new features with familiar, trusted patterns to create comfort and delight for users.
Iterate and Build on User Feedback: The movie’s social media buzz created feedback loops that helped sustain interest through content iterations (fan edits, memes, etc.). Tech products should actively listen to user feedback and encourage community participation to evolve the product dynamically.