Ananya Panday has been in Bollywood for a little over half a decade now. The actress recently made her web series debut with Call Me Bae, which has received a positive response. The show is a dramedy that includes some meta critique of Bollywood with subtle references to privilege and even the insider-outsider debate. In an exclusive chat with DNA, Ananya addressed the pros and cons of being the proverbial ‘insider’ in Bollywood.
Daughter of Chunky Panday, Ananya admits star kids do have one foot in the door in Bollywood but adds that the flipside is that they have a higher threshold of performance to achieve in the public eye. “Every situation has its pros and cons. Being from the industry, obviously you are held in higher regard because they have a direct comparison to your parents or some relative of yours. They say ‘oh but this one was a better actor’. But then the pro is that you have more opportunity and you get into rooms much easier,” she says.
Touching upon how the debate about whether star kids get too many chances in Bollywood, Ananya says, “Tthere is often that complaint that people crib about people from the industry but they go and watch them. So there is this whole debate about if they get more eyeballs or not. There is always a pro and con. Both sides have their ups and downs.”
However, the actress adds that she is proud of being her father’s daughter, something that gives her a sense of pride and legacy, and she does not want any negativity attached to it. “I am very proud of where I come from and I don’t want to be ashamed of who my father is. He has done so much work. He came from a family of doctors and he was the first actor in his family. So now, if I can take his legacy forward, for me that is a feeling of pride. I don’t want to make that a negative thing.”
Call Me Bae, created by Ishita Moitra and directed by Colin D’Cunha, also stars Vir Das, Gurfateh Pirzada, Varun Sood, Vihaan Samat, Muskkaan Jaferi, Niharika Lyra Dutt, Lisa Mishra, and Mini Mathur. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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