“Though I Admire Her A Lot, I Am Not At All Following Alia Bhatt As An Actress”- Ananya Panday

She is pretty, chirpy, poised and perky. She is my friend Chunky Panday’s daughter who is now making her debut with Tiger Shroff in Puneet Malhotra’s Student of The Year 2 produced by Karan Johar. In this freewheeling interview, Ananya Panday tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that Wills Smith has absolutely no airs around him that though he is a huge star.

What is your role in Student of The Year 2?

I play Shreya in the film. My character is very spontaneous and would not takwe no for an answer. Shreya is also a little bit misunderstood by people around her. I confess I am similar to the character of Shreya as far as I am in real life. I was an excited feeling for me when I was auditioned for the part and Karan selected me for the part in this very same room where you are interviewing me. The audition was a very scary process for me. Luckily for me, Karan was not there in the room. I was nervous till the trailer was unveiled though I had also started shooting for Pati Patni Aur Woh too.

You were planning to go to study in a college in USA. Your plans changed when you were selected for Student of The Year!

I auditioned in May 2017 when I was preparing to go to a college in USA for studying for Media & Communications. But when Shanaya Kapoor who is an AD in Dharma Productions and my friend told me that I would be a part of the film Student of The Year, the shift happened. Luckily soon enough not only did I get the Lakme ad as a model but also was able to work as a junior assistant director on the sets of Raes

Did you always follow your dad Chunky Panday when it came to acting?

Though I wanted to follow in the footsteps of dad and take up acting, I loved biology and was planning to take up my grand father’s footsteps and become a doctor. I had to be realistic because if I had not been selected for Student of The Year, I’d have been in a dilemma. I always wanted to be an actor but was not trained at all. With my friends Shanaya and Suhana, I have played games and also acted on the stage while I was in the school.

Are you prepared for comparisons with the actors of Student of The Year especially Alia Bhatt?

Ys. I am prepared for comparisons especially Alia Bhatt because I am part of the sequel of the all time hit Student of The Year. It is natural that I’d be compared because the all the students of the first part have such a mass appeal and the film was lucky for all of them. When Karan asked me who I aspired to be like, I told him my favorite was Alia Bhatt. I really admire her though frankly I am not at all following her. Karan told me that the one thing that I should learn from her is to be myself.

How did you prepare for your part?

As far as dancing is concerned, I had to try to match with Tiger and had to up my energy especially since Tiger was always practicing whenever we got a gap in the shooting spree. In public the most attention is always grabbed by Tiger since he is a massive star when compared to Tara and me. When we are standing with him in public it is like we are pleading with the people to also look at us too

How was your experience of shooting with Will Smith?

It was amazing to work with Hollywood star Will. What I liked about Will was the fact that he did not have any airs absolutely though he is a humongous star. I just cannot believe that Tiger, Tara and I had the opportunity to shake a leg with Will for the Radha song. However, I confess that I am sad that we did not get an opportunity to shale a leg with Varun and Siddharth in the film.

What was your instant reaction when you saw yourself on the screen in the trailer?

I thought that it was someone altogether different when I saw myself in the trailer for the first time and frankly it has not sunk in my psyche that I am also a part of Student of The Year 2 as an actress.

What did you learn from your dad Chunky Panday?

I belong to a film family and I know for a fact that before I was even born, my dad was a big star and has seen a lot of ups and downs in his career. I admire him because he is someone who never let his highs and lows affect him in any which way and whether his film is a hit or a flop. He himself has always been the same person. He tells me that the times are different now from what they were earlier. It had been my dream to be an actor and I do not want to take away anything from my dad because he has worked so hard and got a lot of respect within the industry and everyone loves him a lot. I have learnt a lot from his behavior and work doubly hard. Learning a tip or two from him, I do not think that I will at any time take a break from acting because today people’s attention span is very small and the audience is very fickle unlike in the past. I will continue to keep on working. The biggest mistake that dad did was to discontinue acting on a regular basis.

In what way did your mother Bhavna Pandey groom you for your career?

My mother has seen the ups and downs of my father and knows what it is to be rooted to the earth

You are cast opposite Kartik Aryan in Pati Patni Aur Woh. Was Tapsee Pannu slated to play the role which you are playing in the film now?

Frankly speaking though I am of the opinion that actors should never in general get involved in the casting hassles of a film, I do not think that Tapsee was approached for the role that I am playing in the film. It was for the role which Bhumi Pedenekar is playing now that Tapsee Pannu was approached earlier, if I am not mistaken.

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