In her first interview, Bachchan granddaughter asserts acting is not on cards and mother Shweta had a role to play in her decision
MID-DAY (August 3, 2017)

Navya Naveli Nanda is veteran actor Jaya Bachchan’s favourite grandchild. Don’t believe us? She’ll tell you herself. “I’m her favourite grandchild,” she says. See? The communications major is equally close to her mother, Shweta. At an age when most teenagers love to oppose their parents, Navya, 19, tells Vogue India in her first exclusive interview out in their August edition, that she and Shweta are “best friends”. It comes as no surprise then that Navya’s decision to stay away from the film industry has something to do with Shweta’s advice. “I try to tell Navya about all the cons [of being a part of the film industry]. I have nothing against the industry, it’s who we are. But, it’s not an easy world to be in,” the mother says. The trick works, as the star kid asserts there’s “no way” she’ll make a career in acting.

Instead, she is enjoying her internship at an advertising agency while on a break from studying at a New York university. “I love the independence,” she says about life in Manhattan, where she spends mornings attending a spinning class, trawling the city streets and relishing meals with friends at Serafina.

While Shweta doesn’t believe Navya has taken after either of her parents, the young girl mirrors certain qualities of her mother — she is confident, self- aware and polite. She has also inherited a love for reading, and wants everything from her mother’s closet, including her shoes. The banter between a mother and daughter is evident during the interview.

Whenever Shweta interjects, Navya shoots back. “I’m being nice about you but you know this interview can go both ways,” she says. “She [Shweta] uses all the wrong lingo… And she has to punctuate everything! It drives me crazy,” Navya rolls her eyes.

This friendly discourse takes a serious turn when the teenager attracts unwarranted attention via her social media presence. With an Instagram account that boasts of 1,60,000 followers, Navya is among those leading her tribe. “I’ve been lucky to be quite away from it all,” she shrugs, adding that it’s only when her mother calls her seeking answers, that she’s aware of how public her private life is.

Such is the bond between the Bachchan women that even grandmother Jaya, known to be the family disciplinarian, is more lighthearted around Navya. “I can get away with anything,” Navya says, adding that the trips she takes with Shweta and Jaya throw up the best memories. The most recent one was to the Maldives, where she took a couple’s massage with Jaya since Shweta hates the spa.

Next on the cards is a safari trip. “They [Jaya and Shweta] are so OCD, I can’t wait to see them freaking out in the outdoors."