Actor Ananya Panday says the Hindi film industry has transformed itself and feels that because of this evolution, it is a great time to be working in cinema
Sugandha Rawal (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 26, 2021)

There are some challenges that come with the new reality in this ongoing pandemic, but actor Ananya Panday feels that it’s spinning the cycle of cinematic evolution in a new direction.

“Working amid the new normal is challenging. But once all the safety precautions are taken care of and if everyone is following the protocols, then everyone is raring to go,” Panday admits.

In fact, she’s able to point out some good changes that came with the wave of new realities. “Cinema has evolved so much. Digital platforms have come up in such a big way, and people have a lot of new stories that they want to tell. It’s a great time to be in cinema,” muses the actor, who made her acting debut in 2019 with Student Of The Year 2.

The 22-year-old wants to make full use of the “changing world of cinema”, which she feels will be highlighted through her upcoming projects — Puri Jagannadh’s pan-India film Liger co-starring Vijay Deverakonda, and Shakun Batra’s film with Deepika Padukone and Siddhant Chaturvedi.

“Both the projects are challenging me because they’re very different roles from what I’ve done before, and also from each other. Shakun’s film is in a genre which hasn’t been explored in Bollywood yet. And I think people will be really interested to see that, as well as the whole dynamic between the four of us,” she says.

With Liger, Panday has a personal connection as it belongs to the genre of cinema she loves watching. “It’s the masala, popcorn film that I’ve loved watching. There are high expectations that I’ve set for myself from this one,” she confesses.

And she’s not afraid of failure, as well as taking risks when it comes to her career choices. As the daughter of actor Chunky Panday puts, “life is all about taking risks, and making it bounce”.

“It might sound very idealistic, but I’m working towards happiness. I want every experience to fulfil me in some way. I want to constantly challenge myself, and don’t want to get stagnated. I want to keep doing different things,” shares Pati Patni Aur Woh (2019) and Khaali Peeli (2020) actor.