Ananya Panday owned 2024

Ananya Panday comes off easy to judge. She is visibly steeped in privilege—both socioeconomic and ‘pretty’. It’s the easiest thing to write her off as a ‘nepo baby’—god knows there’s no dearth of them in Bollywood, landing big-banner films and luxury brand ambassadorships from the get-go. And her early outings—debuting at Le Bal in Paris, being launched by Karan Johar in Student Of The Year 2, her viral ‘struggle’ comment—only led more and more people to roll their eyes at the very mention of her name. 

But in 2024, Panday has got every set of those eyes rolled back into place, even widened in pleasant surprise. It began at the fag end of last year, with Netflix’s film Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, which she pulled off with relatable vulnerability. She went deeper into the OTT space with Prime Video’s series Call Me Bae in September and later Netflix’s AI thriller CTRL in October. By then, endorsements from brands across fashion, phones to even petcare started pouring in incessantly. It’s safe to say she had become unignorable in the best possible way, a force that proved that she was more than just a pretty face with Bollywood connections.

“Ananya is a very prepared actor,” says director Colin D’Cunha, who worked with her on Call Me Bae. “She comes in having learnt all her dialogues—and her co-stars’ dialogues. She doesn’t ask to look into a mirror. I was surprised at how ready she is, and how much she knows about acting on camera; hitting her marks, getting her light right.” He calls her, unequivocally, a director’s actor. “She listens to every word and is incredibly eager to please.” 

D’Cunha remembers the camaraderie he saw on set and the energy that Panday brought to the room. “Shooting a series is pretty intense—you form lasting attachments. I remember how much of the series we had to shoot in Bae’s tiny apartment, and the vanities were a trek away. So the actors would be huddled in that small room and engrossed in conversations with her about their lives—they’d almost forget we were there for a scene!” The cast has stayed in touch, and group karaoke is still a ritual. “We have so many singers in the group—Ananya, Lisa [Mishra] Muskkaan [Jaferi], even the boys. So every time we meet, we invariably do some Taylor Swift karaoke!”

Her 2019 debut began with roles that only seemed to cement her ditsy image, but by 2022 (Gehraiyaan), she had fortified her commitment to finding complex, interesting films that gave her the chance to play a new kind of character. She was still pretty and rich, but these roles began a new era of her career that proved this was not the whole story—she could also be sharp and smart.

To her 26 million followers on social media, she is the influencer wrapped up in a friendly, accessible package. D’Cunha, too, likes that Panday is relatable and shows no urgency to show the world her versatility. “She’s not in a hurry to do biopics or change herself completely for a role. She’s being smart about her choices, and her risks are paying off.” 

Her mother, Bhavana, who made her own screen debut with The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives a year after her daughter’s big-screen initiation, always weighs in on her choices. “Chunky and I had always been supportive of her doing whatever she wanted; but were adamant she finish college first. Then, when Karan [Johar] offered her Student Of The Year 2, she made a compelling case, saying that she was going to come back to this industry in the end, so what was the point in studying acting elsewhere that wouldn’t be tailored to Bollywood? And truly, there is no better learning than on the job.” 

At home, as you’d expect of this film family, Panday’s early days were in performance mode. “She would know dialogues from films, hook steps of dance numbers...we would pull out the video camera at birthday parties and as soon as it was on, so was she,” recalls Bhavana. It was odd, though, she points out, how her daughter never took to a stage all through her growing years. Performances were passionate, but private, so it did come as a surprise when Panday first said that she wanted to act. Since then, Bhavna has been her daughter’s greatest fan and critic. “I think the way she carried Call Me Bae—considering how scary it was for her to do a long format like television after films—was incredible. I also think Kho Gaye Hum Kahan was her pièce de résistance. The scene where she finds out her boyfriend is seeing someone—I think the nuance of her expressions was so moving.” 

To Bhavana, her daughter’s conventional good looks have been neither a barrier nor a blessing. “I think what’s considered beautiful varies. And I think, as Ananya herself has said, when a good actor is on screen, the performance takes over and looks don’t matter.” Panday might not use her looks as her calling card, but she doesn’t shy away from them either. Her style has had its own journey, going from faux pas to fabulous in her five-year-long career. And her off-duty persona, on the daily, grows as confident as her screen presence. 

For celebrity stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania, Panday has been ideal to style. “I remember the first time I saw her. I thought she was going to be the ultimate fashion girl. Brands were bound to love her—and they do. She’s a natural clothes horse. Her versatility is key; she can effortlessly pull off a serious, sophisticated look and then switch to something super-young and Gen Z.” Ask the stylist to pick a favourite look she’s created for Panday, and there’s a tussle. But the one that finally wins is from the derby scene from Call Me Bae. “She’s in this layered tulle skirt and oversized Gucci jacket, with massive statement earrings and a baseball cap that says ‘Guts.’ There are so many layered references in that look; I love it.”  

Having styled Panday through one of her first major performances, in Gehraiyaan, Adajania’s been a fairly pivotal part of shaping the actor’s sartorial journey. “Gehraiyaan was the first film we worked on together. Her character was so interesting—reserved, conservative, old-money, but with a different energy. It was where we found a real comfort level with each other. I feel, in some way, I was able to give her the confidence to embrace her body fully, and feel at ease with what she was wearing and doing on screen. It was such a rewarding experience, both creatively and personally, to see her transform and really own the character.”

There is no doubt that 2024 has been Ananya Panday’s year. She’s had an Emily In Paris moment from a style POV, delivered solid performances in roles that both tap into her comfort zone and lean out of it, and stood out from the brat pack of Bolly babies it is so easy to club her with. But what makes her a star with potential is how smartly she has played both to and against stereotype. She’s proving her mettle slowly instead of trying to create a big bang. And her growing momentum is proof that she’s found a formula that works.