Ridhima Pandit takes a dig at Ananya Panday's ‘guts’ over Bharatanatyam fusion in Chand Mera Dil

The internet has been flooded with clips of Ananya Panday performing a fusion Bharatanatyam routine in Chand Mera Dil, and now Ridhima Pandit has reacted to it.

Actor Ananya Panday is facing heavy trolling online after a clip of her performing Bharatanatyam fusion in Chand Mera Dil surfaced on social media. The performance quickly sparked debate, with many slamming her dance moves and questioning the fusion take on the classical form. Amid the ongoing backlash, actor Ridhima Pandit has now joined the conversation and seemingly taken a dig at Ananya over the viral performance clip.

In Chand Mera Dil, Ananya Panday plays Chandni, the daughter of a Bharatanatyam dancer portrayed by Charu Shankar.

Ridhima Pandit takes a dig at Ananya Panday

The internet has been flooded with clips of Ananya performing a fusion Bharatanatyam routine in her latest film, Chand Mera Dil, with the videos rapidly going viral across social media platforms. Amid the online chatter, Ridhima also came across one such reel.

The reel comes with text, “When you learn Bharatanatyam from online tutorial for your culturals.” The reel featured “Bharatanatyam” marked with a cross, while “Roboratanatyam” was accompanied by a tick mark.

Several social media users flooded the comment section to criticise Ananya over her dance performance. “Some people are defending it by saying it is a fusion etc etc. the thing is she just danced badly in all the forms she tried in this sequence,” one comment read, with another social media user writing, “What was the choreographer thinking while choreographing”. One social media user wrote, “That's not fusion. That's confusion”.

Ridhima also took to the comment section to diss Ananya. She wrote, “Guts (two crying emojis)”.

Screenshot of her comment.

Ananya gets slammed

In Chand Mera Dil, Ananya plays Chandni, the daughter of a Bharatanatyam dancer portrayed by Charu Shankar. The scene circulating online shows her character choosing to perform a fusion act, blending Bharatanatyam with hip-hop and locking, instead of presenting a traditional recital. However, many internet users felt the performance did not land the way it was intended to.

After the backlash, Ananya’s father and actor Chunky Panday came forward to defend her amid the criticism. In an interview with ETimes, Chunky said, “I think people completely misunderstood it. It was never meant to be pure Bharatanatyam. It was a fusion performance, the kind of experimental dance you often see college students perform at social or cultural events. People assumed it was traditional Bharatanatyam and started judging it from that lens.”

He further added, “But pure Bharatanatyam requires years and years of rigorous training, almost 20 years of discipline and precision. It’s extremely technical and structured, almost robotic in its movements and expressions. This is a fusion of futuristic, advanced dance forms with elements of traditional dance. It’s a creative blend, not a classical recital. I would request people to watch the film and understand the context before reacting.”

Helmed by Vivek Soni and backed by Dharma Productions, Chand Mera Dil is set against the backdrop of an engineering college. The film follows the story of two students, Aarav and Chandni, whose romance takes an unexpected turn when adulthood and responsibilities arrive too early in their lives. The film opened to mixed reviews from audiences as well as critics, which also reflected in its box office performance.