Mumbai: IMDb Wednesday announced its list of the most popular Indian stars and directors of 2025, with Saiyaara actors Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda topping the annual ranking based on page views from more than 250 million monthly visitors to the platform.
Panday secured the No 1 position among actors, followed by co-star Aneet Padda, while filmmaker Mohit Suri, who directed Saiyaara, led the inaugural Most Popular Indian Directors list, the company said in a press release.
Panday said he is deeply humbled by the recognition for his first film as an actor.
“(It) is nothing short of a dream come true and a full circle Paulo Coelho moment. But truly, if anything, this recognition makes me a little more aware of the responsibility I have towards my craft, and at the same time, it excites me for what’s to come,” the actor said in a statement.
He credited Suri for his guidance and thanked producers Aditya Chopra and Akshaye Widhani, as well as casting director Shanoo Sharma, for their support.
“I look forward to returning soon with my second film, and this honour is motivation enough to try and deliver a performance that will resonate deeply. I thank every single person from across the world who has supported me and rooted for me in ‘Saiyaara’. I thank everyone for helping the stars align and giving me something I could cherish for a lifetime, but mainly, I thank everyone for allowing the grandson of a heart surgeon to be a vessel for love. There’s nothing more poetic. All love here, always,” he added.
Padda, who is set to headline Maddock Films’ upcoming title Shakti Shalini, said the success of Saiyaara had been “life-changing” and expressed gratitude to viewers across languages.
“‘Saiyaara’ changed my life in ways I am only beginning to understand, and to know that people across countries and languages connected with my work means more to me than I can explain.
“This honour from IMDb feels like a gentle push toward everything I want to grow into: more clarity, more curiosity, and more craft. I am soaking all of this in as I step into my next film. Thank you for the love. It is the biggest fuel I have,” she said.
Among actors, Aamir Khan, who returned to the big screen with Sitaare Zameen Par, secured the third spot on the list, followed by Homebound star Ishaan Khatter at No. 4.
Rising star Lakshya is placed fifth, while Rashmika Mandanna, at No. 6, featured on the back of a notably diverse slate across languages, including Hindi films Chhaava, Sikandar and Thamma, as well as her Telugu–Tamil bilingual projects Kuberaa and The Girlfriend.
Kalyani Priyadarshan (No. 7), Triptii Dimri (No. 8), Rukmini Vasanth (No. 9) and Rishab Shetty (No. 10) rounded off the top 10.
Among filmmakers, Aryan Khan took the second spot with his debut show The Ba**ds of Bollywood*. Lokesh Kanagaraj, Anurag Kashyap and Prithviraj Sukumaran followed, while R.S. Prasanna, Anurag Basu and Dominic Arun occupied the middle positions.
Laxman Utekar and Neeraj Ghaywan, whose film Homebound is India’s official entry to the 2026 Academy Awards, completed the top 10 directors ranking.
Yaminie Patodia, head of IMDb India, said the introduction of the directors’ list reflects a shift in audience engagement.
“In the 25 Years of Indian Cinema IMDb Industry Report, we highlighted the emergence of directors as the key architects of this new era of Indian cinema. Filmmakers now consistently appear on our weekly rankings alongside actors, signaling that directors themselves are becoming fan favourites, with world-building and storytelling as the new engines of fandom,” Patodia said.
