Actress on row over her univ admission, her friendship with Suhana Khan and Shanaya Kapoor, and carrying Chunky’s party legacy forward
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 31, 2019)

Have things changed after the release of your debut film, Student Of The Year 2?
Oh yes, and the biggest change is people coming up to me to discuss work. Before the film, I was recognised as Chunky Panday’s daughter, now people know me from SOTY 2. I can’t say I have learnt much since I am just one film old, but I have realised the need to be careful while facing the camera as every facial expression is magnified.

Have equations with friends changed?
I need my friends to keep me grounded and detached from films. I like going out to lunch with my school friends and I am happy they don’t treat me differently now. I’m just 20 years old and want to live a normal life.

There was a controversy around your admission at a prestigious US university. How did you deal with it?
I have inherited my father’s thick skin which helps me deal with trolls. My natural instinct is to ignore them. I know the truth, so do the people around me. So I don’t need to prove anything to anyone.

Would you say a film like SOTY 2 was a good launch for you given the criticism it faced for being superficial?
Doing a Karan Johar film was a dream and I couldn’t have asked for a better start. We never claimed we were bringing a realistic film to the theatres, nor was it a documentary. When we got backlash for the trailer, we tried to convey that it was a popcorn entertainer.

Well, even the first ‘student’, Alia Bhatt, came in for plenty of criticism before she made a mark with films like Highway and Raazi.
My dad always warns me against taking a leaf out of someone else’s career graph, but I look up to Alia’s filmography, She’s my biggest inspiration. I believe my next films will present a different side of me. As an actress I want to try everything.

But won’t age go against you, typecasting you as a teeny-bopper?
I know that I am young and that I look young but the audience will grow up with me and see me in more mature roles with time. I’m glad that I started at 20 because over the years, I can portray characters of different ages on screen.

‘I was wild; my daughter is nothing compared to me,’ your dad said in a recent interview. What is your wildest memory of Chunky?
I have heard so many crazy stories, people still talk about his New Year parties in the ’90s, when guests used to randomly show up. I’m really not as wild as him but I would like to carry forward the legacy of his New Year parties.

Would you like to do a film with him?
I’d love to do a comedy, something in the David Dhawan zone, as he’s known for his comic timing.

Now tell us something about the girl gang of Suhana Khan, Shanaya Kapoor and you?
We grew up playing acting games. Shanaya is making her debut soon and Suhana, a brilliant actress, is studying at an acting school. We are still in the zone when we’d play games but while people think our conversations only revolve around films, we discuss normal things like other teenagers. But since we are from film families, we know how things work in the industry.

Any possibility of the three of you teaming up?
I really want to do a girls’ version of Dil Chahta Hai or Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Even an original story about three best friends would be perfect for Suhana, Shanaya and me.