Though Chunky Panday has spent over three decades in the industry, his daughter Ananya Panday often turns to her mother Bhavna for advice for the projects she picks up. In fact, in one of her previous chats, she had even told BT that her mom reads all her scripts. “My dad prefers to watch my films on the screen. He has never asked me about the scripts I have picked or why I have agreed to do a certain project.”

Meanwhile, her dad, who is well into the second innings of his career, has been choosing roles that one would not expect him to portray in the OTT space. Ananya says, “With OTT platforms and some brave writing, dad has found his space, too. As an actor, I am thrilled to see him play such varied parts with ease. Dad has just come into his own now. He has always taken everything in his stride — the good and the bad. He’s not affected by success or failure. I hope to imbibe that quality. It definitely gives me the courage to make mistakes with a smile on my face and learn from them.”

Ananya’s mother was also a part of an OTT project, which has been renewed for another season, and her sister Rysa is preparing to become a filmmaker. With the entire family in show business, do they talk shop at home? “We don’t talk about work so much,” she says, adding, “If we do, we don’t set aside time for it. Dad has worked for way longer than I have lived. He has such a deep understanding and knowledge of the film trade. He has so many stories about how people worked in his time. I love listening to his stories and how he encapsulates the way the industry has changed from the time he was a hero in Bollywood to now, when he is a versatile artiste who can pull off anything if he is convinced. He realizes that the industry functions differently now, so he stands by me, but doesn’t give me any gyaan. Dad knows there was no one to help him in his time, and he wants me to figure out things for myself, too.”