When Ananya was prompted about a specific memory, she said, “I saw D Company when I was young; my dad died after being shot in the film”. When he was sitting right there next to me, I could not distinguish fact from fiction anymore. Almost there seemed to be an element of realism, and I presumed some misfortune befell him.” This experience made her stop watching his movies to do so. She did not want to see her father ‘die’ again.

Embracing Her Own Journey

When Ananya too entered Bollywood herself, she understood how wrong she was about her dad’s influence in her life. I was raised on those epic-like massed commercial movies, such as the kind of films you know. That was what I had in mind acting was all about. Yes, she confessed, ‘It’s in my DNA”. But, this made a turnaround as she worked on Gehraiyaan. Starring in the film directed by Shakun Batra was a bit interesting for her as she was compelled to go deeper into the process of finding out her innermost desires and tailor her performance in front of the cameras with an expanded perspective.

The life coach style cooperation also helped me to learn that I have a completely different side as an actor. Presently, she wants to find a middle ground: face glamour commercial movies that she has grown with as a child, plus have a taste of the challenging persona-packed characters that challenge her.

What’s Next for Ananya Panday?

After the successful Ctrl directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and the Prime video series called Call Me Bae, Ananya has some great opportunities coming her way. She will next appear in Chand Mera Dil, which will also star Lakshya.

From being a terrified girl to being one of the most demanded catalog stars, Ananya’s story is a bright example of how behind every star, there is a bright story.