BOLLYWOOD
Ananya Panday, who is set to make her web series debut with Call Me Bae, has spoken up about being put in a box due to her performances
Actor Ananya Panday, set to make her web series debut with Call Me Bae, says she wants to break out of her perceived image in the audience and industry, and that will happen when she is in a position to say no to offers that feed into a certain stereotype.
Call Me Bae, directed by Collin D'Cunha and created by Ishita Moitra, sees Ananya's Bae leading a privileged life in New Delhi, before she is disowned by her family. The eight-episode series will debut on Prime Video on September 6.
The actor, who made her debut with 2019's rom-com Student of the Year 2, said "fighting perception" is a challenge that she continues to deal with as an individual. "When you start up with a certain kind of film, people put you in a box and they would expect the same thing from you. So, I'm fighting the perception of what the audience thinks of me and the kind of work you get within the industry. When something of yours does well, you get the same offers, and it is up to us as actors if we have that position where we can say no," Ananya told PTI in an interview here.
Sometimes saying no is more important than yes because that defines you as an actor and a person, she added. "You can be scared that, ‘Oh this is such a big opportunity, what if I say no to this'. But then, in the long term, it does well because you are not feeding into a stereotype. "You are reinventing, challenging yourself and doing something different. All this might mean that you are missing out on something that seems big but actually, you are choosing growth over doing something similar." Call Me Bae marks the web series debut for the 25-year-old, whose previous films such as Gehraiyaan and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan were direct-to-digital releases.
Ananya said playing Bae, a young woman who goes on riches to rags journey, was a "dream role" for her. "They sent me eight episodes in a go, and when I read it, I felt, ‘I'm could die to be part of this'. As a character, there's so much to do, so much to chew on. There are so many layers to the character.
"There's a full journey, and the audience goes through everything with her. That was very exciting. But just not the character, even the story that it is. It is very light, fun and happy but there's something that we are trying to say by the end of the show, there's a big message there." The actor said it took her some time to adjust to the set of Call Me Bae after finishing work on Vikramaditya Motwane's cyber thriller CTRL and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, a coming-of-age buddy drama directed by Arjun Varain Singh.
"It was like a breath of fresh air, we all enjoyed coming on sets, having fun, and playing with each other. I was coming from Motwane sir's film, I had done Kho Gaye Hum Kahan. So, on the first day, I was being very subtle, I was doing internal acting, and Colin was like, ‘This will not work here, you need to put the energy up'. It took us a few days to find our rhythm and then we all found the tone together," she added.
Ananya said she wasn't offered anything in the long storytelling format before Call Me Bae. "When we were shooting for Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (on Netflix) we didn't know whether it would go on OTT or not. So, there were offers for direct-to-OTT but this is my first show...This zone (OTT) excites me because everything we see is a little dark and heavy, and I miss eating and binge-watching something with my friends. I would like to bring light to people in these dark times (through the show).”
The series also gave her a chance to explore her character deeply, she said. "Even though when you do a film, you still have the same amount of work and backstories, you don't have that much screen time to show all of the facets. Some of the stuff gets lost in subtlety and context. But with the show, there was so much that I could do, like with every episode there were pages of back story that I could bring into the show, and show it in small scenes...As an audience I'm loyal to so many TV show characters, they stay with me as we go with them through so many seasons. You almost grow up with them, so they become a part of your family."
This is also a first attempt for Ananya, daughter of actor Chunky Panday, to be part of an out-and-out comedy. "It was a task to become Bae and play that character. I don't make those expressions, and it takes a lot of practice because you can end up looking funny, making certain faces or saying certain things. You have to find the fine line between being a caricaturist and finding a character. So, it was not easy, it was tough having that energy, and figuring out comic timing because I had not done comedy before. My dad is known for comedy but I had never done it before, so there were a lot of things that had to be worked around,” she said.
The actor said there are "more differences" between her and Bae, a billionaire fashionista, than similarities. "People have that perception but the more you get to know me, people realise that I'm not like that... The character that's closest to me is Aahana from Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, I could feel she is very similar to how I am. But with Bae, I've not lived the way she has, so I was like, ‘What is she saying? What is she doing?' as she comes from the uber privileged (class) where she has been very protected. I was always allowed to be whatever I wanted to be, and my parents never said, ‘You can't do this because you are a girl'. Bae couldn't do a lot of things and her brother was allowed to do so many more things, she was meant to be married off at a very young age, and that life has been decided for her. My life has been very different from that."
Call Me Bae also features Vir Das, Gurfateh Pirzada, Varun Sood, Vihaan Samat, Muskkaan Jaferi, Niharika Lyra Dutt, Lisa Mishra, and Mini Mathur in pivotal roles. The series is executive produced by Dharmatic Entertainment's Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from PTI
The DNA app is now available for download on the Google Play Store. Please download the app and share your feedback with us.
‘Another example of…’: MEA on Canada labelling India ‘cyber adversary’
'Bhai kyu jhooti tassali....': Mrunal Thakur criticizes fan who photoshopped her in Diwali pic
Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani set to earn money from Singham Again's box office collection, here’s how
Adani Power cuts Bangladesh electricity supply by half due to $846 million unpaid bills
Here's what is happening inside Ratan Tata’s Bombay House since after death of business magnate
Virat Kohli dispels retirement rumours, suggests he may continue playing cricket till....
Meet man, highest UPSC exam scorer, who broke IAS Tina Dabi's record, he is...
Swati Maliwal pours bottle of polluted water outside Delhi CM Atishi’s residence; WATCH
IPL 2025: R Ashwin tops CSK's wishlist as franchise plans to utilize RTM for THIS New Zealand star
'Abki baar...': AI imagines Donald Trump, Kamala Harris as Indian politicians, netizens react, WATCH
Amid bomb threats, ammunition cartridges found in Dubai-Delhi Air India flight
This Indian king, was first man to make history by marrying foreign woman during his trip to...
Mukesh Ambani's Jio once again TOPPED in global telecom industry, sets record in...
Bhai Dooj 2024: Date, shubh muhurat, significance, rituals and more
New ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ emerges: Meet man who declares himself to be Bitcoin founder but fails to...
Watch: Former CSK star gets hit for 6 sixes in an over against England during Hong Kong Sixes
'Makes no sense': Ex-India star slams Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir for absurd Sarfaraz Khan decision
World's richest man Elon Musk faces lawsuit from Ex-Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal for...
Security forces kill 2 terrorists, including a foreign national in Jammu and Kashmir
WWE Crown Jewel 2024: Full match card, timing, live streaming details - All you need to know
'Absurd and baseless': India dismisses Canadian minister's allegations against Amit Shah
IND vs NZ: Virat Kohli scripts history in Mumbai Test, becomes first player in world to...
This 51-year-old woman leaves husband to marry 30-year-old Indian security guard
Mukesh Ambani's best plan for Jio users, 200GB data, 90 days of unlimited calls at just Rs...
'Thanks for...': Abhishek Bachchan's viral statement amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai
Jammu and Kashmir: 2 terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in Anantnag
21-Day Mars, Moon simulation in Ladakh
Prashant Kishor's fee for advising in one election will leave you shocked, it is Rs...
Dua Padukone Singh: Here's how Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh named their baby girl
Another BIG move by Mukesh Ambani, set to provide some help for debt-ridden Ghana as Reliance Jio...
J-K: Gun battle breaks out between security forces and terrorists in Srinagar's Khanyar
Noel Tata takes BIG decision at TCS after Ratan Tata's death, plans to hire...
'Will chop them up...': Mithun Chakraborty hits out at TMC’s Humayun Kabir at Kolkata rally
Delhi Air Pollution: Delhi-NCR AQI turns ‘very poor’ as city wakes up to toxic smog post-Diwali
Gautam Adani's next BIG step: Adani Power stops Bangladesh’s power supply due to...
Indian troops start patrolling Demchok sector in eastern Ladakh following India-China disengagement
Amy Jackson announces first pregnancy with husband Ed Westwick, flaunts baby bump in adorable pics
In THIS Indian village, families live with cobras, the reason is...
Hardik Pandya flaunts his special 'World Champion' ring after being retained by MI, video goes viral
Happy Govardhan Puja 2024: Top 50 WhatsApp wishes, messages, quotes for loved ones
Despite massive Diwali opening, is Singham Again paying the price for banking on huge star cast?
Shah Rukh Khan's heartfelt gesture towards jewellery store staff wins internet, watch
DNA TV Show: Public calls out celebrities’ hypocrisy on Diwali pollution
Fashion designer Rohit Bal dies at 63: Last year, he was on ventilator for heart ailments
BCCI scraps India's intra squad warm-up game ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy, reason revealed
Legendary fashion designer Rohit Bal dies at 63 after prolonged illness
Another terrorist attack in J-K, militants shoot two non-locals in Budgam