Ananya Panday worked hard despite criticism, wished to focus on English-speaking girl roles: Rajeev Masand

Ananya Panday faced early criticism but later gained praise for her performances. Rajeev Masand highlighted her dedication and collaborative approach.

Bollywood actor Ananya Panday faced criticism for her performance when she made her debut with Student of the Year 2. However, she later received praise for her work in CTRL and Call Me Bae. In a recent podcast with Unfiltered Entertainment, Rajeev Masand, COO of Karan Johar’s talent management company Dharma Cornerstone Agency, reflected on Ananya’s career trajectory and her willingness to work hard despite mixed opinions.

Ananya Panday wanted to capatalise on english speaking urban girl roles.

Rajeev Masand praises Ananya Panday's career trajectory

Rajeev said that many actors can be “delusional” and added that positioning an actor at a certain level requires a collaborative effort. He explained that one must make a genuine effort to become the person they aspire to be, stressing the importance of honest conversations within a team about where they stand and where they want to go. According to him, this process must be collaborative, as a team alone cannot map out an actor’s career or strategy. He added that success comes when both the actor and their team are aligned towards a shared goal, making it essential to choose the right brands and films that help achieve that vision.

Rajeev cited Ananya Panday as a strong example of this approach and said, “If you ask for an example, I would like to say Ananya, she is the best example. She is lovely. She came to us four years ago, had a few releases. She is also someone who is bright and young. All the other kids got attacked in that whole nepo argument a little bit. But, clearly there was someone who was ambitious and willing to work very hard.”

He added, “We realised early on that she is someone who listens. You must have your opinion, but you must be willing to listen. She figured out this is what I want to do. I am good at English-speaking urban girl roles, and I will capitalise on that, and within that I want some range. So if you saw Gehraiyaan, she stood out because she was someone you believed could be that character, and yet there was a bit of heavy lifting. Then in Call Me Bae, she really came into her own. That was a tricky one; she did that very well.”

Ananya Panday’s upcoming film

Ananya is awaiting the release of her upcoming romantic drama, Chaand Mera Dil. Helmed by Vivek Soni, the film also stars Lakshya in the lead role. Backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, the film was earlier scheduled for release last year but is now set to hit theatres on 22 May. She alsi has the series Call Me Bae's season 2 in the pipeline.