Anurag Kashyap calls Ananya Panday ‘favourite nepo kid’, says she changed after Siddhant Chaturvedi's ‘struggle’ remark

Anurag Kashyap praised Bollywood actor Ananya Panday as a talented nepo kid, noting her growth in the industry.

Over the years, the presence of nepo kids has become a heated topic in the film industry. While some have proven their talent and earned critical acclaim, others continue to face constant scrutiny. In a recent interview with The Juggernaut, Anurag Kashyap called Ananya Panday one of his favourite nepo kids and shared how he believes she has changed and evolved in the industry.

Anurag Kashyap says Ananya Panday changed after Siddhant Chaturvedi's 'struggle' remark.

Anurag Kashyap on Ananya Panday's career choices

When asked about his favourite nepo baby, Anurag named Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Ananya Panday and Ayan Mukerji. Speaking about Ananya's career graph, he said, “I think she has figured it out. I think long back in an interview, Siddhant Chaturvedi had said, ‘our struggles end where yours begin,’ and she took it very personally. Something altered inside her because she changed after that. Something about her changed. After that, I saw her in CNTRL, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, and Gehraiyaan. Something flipped inside her, and she found herself — or she is on the path to finding herself. But whatever it is, she is doing great stuff. She is taking risks, and she is quite mature. She experiments. She is not playing safe, unlike others.”

He went on to explain why he thinks nepo kids often fail, “I think the problem, more than the kids, is that the parents are not letting the kids make their own choices. For the sake of safety, the parental instincts kick in — ‘I am going to protect my child and give them a successful career because I know better’. That’s where the problem lies.”

What Siddhant Chaturvedi said

In 2019, during a roundtable with Rajeev Masand for News18, Ananya spoke about how people assumed she got everything easily because her father was a star. She admitted that she doesn't shy away from being Chunky Panday's daughter, saying, “Just because I’m an actor's daughter, I’m not going to say no to an opportunity. My dad has not been in a Dharma film, he has never gone on Koffee With Karan, so it's not as easy as people think. I think everyone has their own struggles.”

In response, Siddhant had famously said, “Everybody has their own struggles. The only difference is that where our dreams get fulfilled, their struggle begins.”

Meanwhile, Ananya is currently busy shooting for her upcoming movie Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri alongside Kartik Aaryan. The Dharma Production film is scheduled to release in 2026. Anurag Kashyap, on the other hand, is set to star in Dacoit which also features Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on December 25, 2025.