Ananya Panday: I've Always Wanted People To Take Me Seriously As An Actor

The actor, who debuted with Karan Johar's production "Student of the Year 2", earned critical acclaim for her performance in Shakun Batra-directed "Gehraiyaan" from the same banner.

While fans noticed a shift in her choices post "Gehraiyaan", Panday called it a "natural progression", whether it is her latest film "Kho Gaye Hum Kahan" from Zoya Akhtar's banner or her upcoming cyber-thriller "Control" by Vikramaditya Motwane.

"I’ve always wanted people to take me seriously as an actor. It's not that it (choices) changed after ‘Gehraiyaan’. I'm in my 20s, I’m growing up and there are different things that I’m relating to. There are different kinds of stories I want to do. It’s simultaneous with my growth as a person. My choices are also changing. It’s a ripple effect," the actor, 25, told PTI in an interview.

"I'm not making any conscious decisions. I’ve my wishlist and I’m secretly manifesting who I want to work with but nothing works like good work. I’m trying to focus on that,” Panday added.

The actor said she is grateful that filmmakers like Batra, Akhtar and Motwane "believed that if I could work with them, I could back a film for them".

"Kho Gaye Hum Kahan" is set to stream on Netflix from December 26 and also stars Siddhant Chaturvedi, Adarsh Gourav and Kalki Koechlin.

The coming-of-digital-age drama revolves around three best friends as they navigate life while striving to balance their online identities with their true selves.

Panday hopes the movie resonates with people of her age.

“I found it very relatable and I felt if I can find it relatable, then there are so many people out there, who will. There are films that define every generation. I feel like being a part, hopefully, of something that people will look back years later and be like, ‘Oh, that’s ahead of time or that spoke of our generation and we related to it’," she said.

“Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” is directed by debutant director Arjun Varain Singh and produced by Excel Entertainment’s Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar and Tiger Baby’s Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar.

Social media is very much a part of an actor's life and Panday calls it both a curse and a blessing.

"Blessing because there’s connectivity and you can reach out to so many people. The lines between international work and work in India has also blurred and it has become one big community. It’s a curse because it dilutes your star power on screen because everyone is already seeing you dancing and doing everything on Instagram,” she said.

There has always been curiosity about an actor's personal life, which can get tough, according to Panday.

"I'm a believer in keeping things private and special because you are dealing with relationships like any normal person. You are feeling it out with the person that you are with and so sometimes it feels unfair and little personal to put those things out.

"But I'm also a believer of like if something makes you happy then show it, there’s a reason you are smiling and you are happy and the world should know. So, it’s a bit of, like it depends on the day and the person also.”

The "Dream Girl 2" actor said after working on “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan”, she has consciously cut down on the time she spends on social media.

"I don’t know how much time I spend on social media but I’ve definitely reduced. I think because of the film and in general how I’m feeling in life right now. I’m bored of it.”