Orry has put an end to speculation about his reported association with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War, clarifying that he is not part of the film and has no plans to pursue acting. He says the buzz stemmed from a conversation with the film’s casting team. “It came up in conversation two years ago. The casting person had reached out, but it ended up not going anywhere,” he says.

Orry adds that he chose not to correct the speculation as it gained momentum. “I allowed the rumour to fly, because why not? I love chatter,” he says.

Orry insists acting is not something he wants to pursue. “I don’t want to act. I don’t like acting. I tell everyone I love my reality so much that I don’t want to have to put myself in someone else’s shoes and play some character. That’s just not something I want to do.”

Having watched actors and friends in the industry closely, Orry says he is aware of how demanding the profession can be. “Acting is not an easy job. I’ve seen that firsthand and I’ve seen that with my friends who are at the top of it. Imagine if you’re not at the top of it, if you’re not from that world, you don’t even have the skill or you’re fighting to get a role. It’s very hard,” he says.

For Orry, fame itself is not a motivation to enter the profession. “A lot of people associate acting with fame. But I’m already famous and I did it without acting,” he says, adding, “I really am at the level of fame I want to be.”

Orry, formally known as Orhan Awatramani, is bored. After participating in an adventure-based reality show, he finds himself struggling to feel equally stimulated by anything else. “I’m so bored. I have nothing to do,” he confesses. But as he sits down for a conversation with Bombay Times, Orry may appear dazed at first, but once he begins talking, his words come at a rapid-fire pace. In the conversation, Orry talks about loneliness, friendships, love, identity, and more. While he remains guarded about certain aspects of his personal life, he is characteristically unfiltered about everything else. Excerpts follow:

So why is Orry bored? He replies, “People are always like, ‘Oh, Orry, how can you be bored? How can you be sad? Look at your life, you're Orry.’ To me, I’m just me. In my life, being Orry is the normal. It’s very scary in life when you realize a Friday night has been stolen from you. If every night in your life could be a Friday night, there’s no specialty to a Friday night. Normal people get to look forward to a Friday night, but every night of my life is like a Friday night. So, I’ve been robbed of being able to look forward to the weekend. Maybe I need to get a job, just to occupy myself and have a purpose.”

Despite being surrounded by people and maintaining friendships across industries, Orry says he occasionally experiences loneliness. “You can be friends with everyone and, yet, at times have a lonely moment. All my friends are very productive, and they’re always doing things. But I’m not, because I seem to have more hours in a day than other people. Others go to work in the morning; they have jobs, they have partners, they have kids, they have Pilates. I don’t do all of that. So, it’s the emptiness in the day that often causes the loneliness. It’s not a permanent feeling in my life. It’s a visitor, it comes and goes. It’s not like I’m a lonely person,” he explains.

As the conversation dives deeper, Orry discusses sexuality. He has spoken nonchalantly about his sexuality, whether making a gay joke on a comedy show or calling himself gay in his reels. He, however, never dramatically made an announcement.

“We’ve never actually had a cool, fun, mainstream person like me before. But I’m not the face of this (queer) community. I never asked to be the face, nor did I take this responsibility or associate too much because I don’t do any community things. People dump this leader-of-the-community tag on me, then get upset with things I do. But I’m always going to live my life for myself first,” he tells us.

He goes on to add, "No one (from the community) did anything for me. When I first popped off, and I was getting so much hate and trolling, it’s not like this community came and supported me and was my emotional support. I was my own support. And now that I’m successful and big, people want to claim that I’m from this and I represent that. No, I’m just here for myself. I represent myself. What I would like to inspire people to do is not take themselves so seriously."

While Orry may challenge conventional expectations of how a man should look or behave, he says his understanding of masculinity is surprisingly traditional. “I’m a very old-fashioned person. To me, masculinity means exactly what you would immediately think when you hear the word masculinity. It’s 2026, and now when you hear the word masculine, people get triggered and confused. But to me, masculine means that macho, alpha male guy. To me, masculinity means Rohit Shetty. When I think of a masculine person, that’s exactly what comes to mind — tall, broad, macho, fit, deep and smooth voice, chivalrous, or maybe even toxic. To me, that’s masculinity. I don’t believe in any other form of it,” he explains.

While he does not wish to define his sexuality in this conversation, Orry says he was fortunate to have the freedom to explore different parts of his personality while growing up at boarding school. “I don’t think anyone is 100% masculine. There are some boys who are very masculine and some boys who are less so. My physical attributes would never allow me to have the most masculine physique, but I was always athletic and fit. I went to an international boarding school that allowed me to explore all parts of my personality. I have had phases where I was extremely feminine and I was like, that’s not me," he explains, and adds, "I’m a dude at the end of the day. I have more guy friends than I have girlfriends. I’m in more boy groups than I am in girl groups. I may not be the most masculine person, but I am a guy at the end of the day, and I like that I’m a guy who is a bit feminine as well. I can wear the things I want, but I can also pull them off.”

Orry is also averse to the idea of labelling his sexuality or identity. "My life doesn't run on validation from other people. I don't need you to validate me when I do well. I don't need you to validate me when I do badly. So, your tag — it doesn't affect me at all," he states.

Looking back at his younger years, Orry says he does not believe he experienced the same degree of confusion with his identity that many people do because he was able to explore without fear. “A lot of guys do struggle, and sometimes a lot of other people get upset with me because I didn’t have that struggle. But I was very clear in my mind. Even if I did have that struggle, let’s say you’re in an ocean and you’re drowning, but you can see the shore — I knew how to swim to the shore. So even if I was struggling and it was hard, I knew the direction I had to go, and I knew what had to be done and I did it.”

He explains, "I was never shy to try new things. I was never scared to venture down a path that other people hadn’t. I was able to try different personalities, different outfits, different levels of masculinity and femininity. I was able to do all the trial and error and permutation combinations till I found myself in the way I am today.”

Orry is equally candid about love, heartbreak , and relationships. "I have been in love many times. I’ve been heartbroken so many times. The concept of love keeps changing. I don’t find love in stability, compatibility and fondness. I find love more in drama and toxicity. I need that storybook love with Romeo and Juliet where they both kill each other and realize it was a mistake, but they’re dead. For me, that is more love. I need love to be an emotional roller coaster," he explains.

Ask him when was in love last and he admits, "I am currently single. My last breakup was last week ago." Talking about it, he says, "You do learn a lot from every relationship, and you really learn a lot about yourself more than anything else. I’ve always been the kind of person to drop everything for the person I’m in love with. My life usually becomes about the other person and I move into that person’s life. I leave Orry world and join La La Land of the other person. The last relationship really taught me that Orry world comes first."

The internet believes he is dating a guy named Shivpreet Suvarna. However, Orry debunks the rumours right away. "Shiv is my friend. There's nothing there. We play into the narrative because it works for content," he reveals.

Orhan Awatramani, aka Orry, joining Khatron Ke Khiladi may sound unexpected, but according to him, there wasn’t much thought behind it. “I’m in this phase of my life where I’m just saying yes to everything,” he says. “Do you want to eat sausages for breakfast? Yes. Do you want to do Khatron Ke Khiladi? Yes. Do you want to jump off a cliff? Yes. I’m just going to say yes to everything!”

While social media sees him as chaotic and funny, Orry says people often misunderstand the line between his jokes and serious thoughts. “Because I’m so funny and giggly and sunshine all the time, when I do say something serious, people sit down to listen. Sometimes my delivery of even serious matters comes across as comical, so people can never tell when I’m joking or being serious,” he says.

That confusion extends to his career choices, too. Asked if he wants to become an actor, his answer is both yes and no. “If you ask me to do something, I’m going to say yes. But do I want to? No. So if someone asks me to act, I will do it, but I don’t want to be an actor.”

When asked how he deals with trolls on social media, he says, “People write about me, they post about me and form their opinions. This is the price you pay for being a forever-relevant person. Some people are famous, but they’re not actively relevant all the time. I am actively relevant every day.”

According to him, that level of attention comes with losing control over your own image. “You lose not only the power of privacy, but you lose the right to define yourself. You’re constantly being defined by other people.”

Orry says opportunities somehow keep finding him. “I don’t really look forward to anything. Things just happen in my life. God has blessed me with a life with so many opportunities, and that’s the biggest luxury of them all. So, I grab every opportunity that comes my way, and I dominate it,” he says.

Mumbai Police’s Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) is set to file a chargesheet next week against Mohammad Salim Mohammad Suhail Shaikh alias Lavish, a close aide of fugitive drug kingpin Salim Dola, in connection with a 2022 drug manufacturing and distribution case.

Shaikh, who was deported from the UAE, is alleged to be a key operative in an international narcotics network linked to the Dawood Ibrahim gang. According to police sources, the chargesheet will detail the trafficking syndicate, including manufacturing units, supply chains and financial routes.

The names of celebrities Nora Fatehi, Shraddha Kapoor and her brother Siddhanth Kapoor, as well as social media influencer Orhan Awatramani alias Orry, had surfaced during the investigation. The chargesheet is expected to reference Siddhanth Kapoor and Orry, both of whom were questioned by the ANC last year.

According to Lavish, film producer duo Abbas-Mustan, rapper Loka and NCP leader Zeeshan Siddique were among prominent personalities who attended his parties in Mumbai, Goa and Dubai.

“At this stage, there is no substantive evidence to establish their (celebrities’) involvement. Statements made by an accused require independent corroboration,” a senior officer said.

“I have never been involved in such activities. I was, in fact, surprised to see my name on television. I did not pay much attention to it because I have never attended such parties, nor is it part of my lifestyle. Therefore, it is essential that any allegations are verified before being made,” Siddique, a former legislator, told Mumbai Mirror on Friday.

The case traces its origins to an August 2022 operation by the ANC, in which a Mumbai-based man was arrested with mephedrone, leading to the unravelling of a larger drug distribution network. Further investigation pointed to handlers operating from Dubai, with hawala channels allegedly used to transfer proceeds.

A major breakthrough came in March 2024, when a mephedrone manufacturing unit in Sangli district was busted, resulting in the seizure of drugs and assets worth over Rs 250 crore. Investigators believe the facility was linked to a network allegedly controlled by Dola and his associates.

Subsequent raids in Mira Road led to the recovery of 3 kg of MD and Rs 3.68 lakh in cash. Further investigations revealed that 30 kg of MD had already been distributed to operatives in Surat.

Among those arrested was Parveen Bano Ghulam Sheikh, who was allegedly found in possession of 641 grams of MD, Rs 12.2 lakh in cash, gold jewellery and a mobile phone.

During interrogation, she is said to have confessed to acting under instructions from Dubai-based accused Dola and Salim Sheikh, along with their Indian associate Sajid Mohammad Asif Sheikh alias Dabs.

The probe also revealed that the syndicate allegedly sourced raw materials from industrial hubs in Gujarat, manufactured drugs in interior Maharashtra, and transported consignments using luxury vehicles to evade suspicion. The network is believed to have supplied narcotics across Mumbai and nearby regions, with funds routed abroad through illegal channels.

Officials said the chargesheet will primarily focus on establishing the role of Shaikh and other accused in the narcotics network, including their alleged links to international handlers and organised crime syndicates.

-----------------------------------------------------

Social media influencer Orhan Awatramani aka Orry, has been dominating showbiz chatter lately, following unfiltered social media posts that have openly hinted at tensions with his former close friends, actor Sara Ali Khan and her brother, actor Ibrahim Ali Khan.

In an exclusive interview with us, Orry confirms the feud, saying, “If (Sara and Ibrahim’s mother, actor) Amrita Singh were to apologize, I could maybe see myself letting it go in the future.”

Addressing his decision to unfollow Sara on Instagram, Orry explains, “I unfollowed Sara a while ago, and I haven’t followed Ibrahim in years. Pretending to be friends with Sara means pretending to be okay with the trauma her mother put me through, and I just don’t think I can do that anymore.”

More recently, Orry’s remarks about Sara’s career went viral. However, he remains unapologetic and is not holding back. “I don’t think I said anything wrong about her. I just made a small joke, taking a dig at her career. I highly doubt she even felt bad about it. The whole internet makes fun of Sara’s movies all the time. In fact, her biggest body of work is a series of memes that she’s delivered via movies. People make fun of me being jobless all the time. It’s not that deep,” he ends.

When we reached out to Amrita for comments and clarification, she responded with a folded hands emoji. Meanwhile, attempts to reach out to Sara and Ibrahim were not met with any response till the time of going to press.

Once inseparable on party circuits, Sara and Orry’s friendship has hit a very public speed bump. A source tell us, the tension has been brewing since Sara’s birthday last year. It started with a spat between Orry and Palak Tiwari, Ibrahim’s girlfriend. It intensified when Orry also posted unflattering pictures of Sara in his wish. Now, Orry has been taking direct digs at Sara, Palak and Amrita on social media, leading to everyone unfollowing each other on Instagram.

In a now-deleted Reel posted last week, Orry was asked to name the “worst names” he knew, to which he said ‘Amrita, Sara and Paalak.’ Fans have interpreted these as references to Sara, her mother, actor Amrita Singh, and actor Palak Tiwari, who is dating Sara’s brother, actor Ibrahim Ali Khan. Following this, both Sara and Ibrahim unfollowed Orry on Instagram.

Although Sara has not reacted directly to the fallout, on Monday she posted a birthday wish for a friend. She used Vikram Sarkar’s Haryanvi song Naam Chale, with the lyrics: Khulle se khate/ na padte hisaban mein/ masti mein rehte hum/ rehte na yadan mein/ Ek life mili baby/ jee rey swadan mein/ talented balak na padte vivaadan mein. Roughly translated, the lyrics speak to living freely, avoiding calculations, and steering clear of unnecessary controversies.

Around two years ago, a WhatsApp chat allegedly between Orry and Palak surfaced on Reddit, where Palak is seen texting Orry, “If it’s an apology you want, out of respect for Sara I’m saying it. Sorry.” She was met with a middle-finger emoji in response.

The leaked exchange led fans to speculate that a serious fallout may have occurred between the two during New Year’s Eve that year, possibly triggering the tensions that followed.

On January 26, Orry shared a Reel in which he appeared wearing a micro bikini printed on a T-shirt. Responding to a comment, he joked that the printed graphic on his shirt was “holding together Sara Ali Khan’s hits.”

The Anti-Narcotics Cell of Mumbai Police on Wednesday grilled socialite and influencer Orhan Awatramani, alias Orry, in a major drug seizure case, an official said.

Orhan arrived at the Ghatkopar unit of the ANC around 1.30 pm, the official said. He had been asked to visit the ANC office last Thursday (November 20) but had sought more time.

According to the police, Orry’s name cropped up during the interrogation of Mohammed Salim Mohammed Suhail Shaikh, a key accused in the Rs 252 crore mephedrone seizure case. The case is centred around a largescale mephedrone manufacturing setup in Sangli.

Shaikh allegedly claimed that he used to organise rave parties in India and abroad for certain film and fashion celebrities, a politician, and a relative of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Orhan was among those named by Shaikh, as per the police.

Shaikh, nicknamed ‘Lavish’ because of his lavish lifestyle, was deported from Dubai last month.

Shaikh was a close aide of Salim Dola who oversaw mephedrone man-ufacturing and distribution across India, the police had said earlier.

On Wednesday the police interrogated Orry for six to seven hours. The police kept the temperature of the room deliberately high, switching of the air-conditioner, to keep the influencer uncomfortable, the official said. A senior officer said they suspect that Orry came into contact with the gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s kin in Dubai.

Asked about his sources of income, Orry told the police that he was working for a telecom major on a salary of Rs 3 lakh per month. The police, however, said his lifestyle was disproportionate to his source of income.

------------------------------------------------------

Actor Tamannaah Bhatia’s song Nasha from the upcoming film Raid 2 has been trending. While many have been appreciating her moves, some social media users drew a comparison between the song and actor Urvashi Rautela’s dance number Sorry Bol in Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda-starrer Jaat. The chatter took a turn when Urvashi herself addressed the comparisons.

On Monday, Urvashi shared a screenshot of a comment in which a fan called her song “far better than Nasha”. The 31-year-old later deleted her Story, but a screenshot found its way on Reddit. Social media users were not impressed with her post, with several criticizing her for sharing it.

The actor was earlier trolled for naming actor Kiara Advani after her Game Changer bombed at the box office. While promoting her film, Urvashi had told Lehren TV, “Agar Kiara Advani ki Game Changer disaster hui hai aur meri Daaku Maharaaj blockbuster hit ho gayi hai, then it’s not my mistake.”

------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in an interview with Screen, influencer Orry spoke about feeling insecure after Urvashi overshadowed him with a grand entrance at her 31st birthday party in February, adding that he later took “revenge”.

The 29-year-old recalled that the actor walked in carrying her own spotlight: “It didn’t matter who you were—you could be Donald Trump, and you’d still take out your phone and record Urvashi’s entrance.”

He had also shared a video wishing her back in Feb, in which he can be seen pushing her while dancing to Dabidi Dibidi (Daaku Maharaaj): “We were dancing near the DJ booth to her song, and as everyone was recording, I pushed her — on her own song, no less. That was me getting revenge for the light. She even tried to blind me once! I posted the video myself and said, ‘Urvashi, you’re taking too much attention. This is not okay. I’m feeling very insecure — and your physical spotlight is outshining my inner glow’.”

Social media personality Orhan Awatramani, aka Orry, has been booked for allegedly consuming alcohol at a hotel in Katra, the base camp for the pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, Jammu and Kashmir police said on Monday.

An FIR was registered against Orry and seven others on Saturday under BNS section 223 (disobeying an order given by a public servant) after Katra police received a complaint that a group of guests staying at a hotel were found consuming alcohol. Orry had posted a video on Instagram Stories featuring himself and his friends in Katra. Bottles of liquor were visible in the clip.

“Orhan Awatramani, Darshan Singh, Parth Raina, Ritick Singh, Rashi Dutta, Rakshita Bhogal, Shagun Kohli and Anastasila Arzamaskina consumed liquor on the hotel premises despite being told that alcohol and non-vegetarian food were not allowed,” a police officer said.

“Sensing the gravity of the matter, instructions were issued by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Reasi, Paramvir Singh to nab the miscreants and set an example of zero tolerance of any such act at a religious place which can hurt the sentiments of people,” the officer added.

The Union Territory administration has banned the consumption and sale of liquor and non-vegetarian products in the town, owing to its proximity to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.

SSP Singh told reporters, ”There is no place for those who don’t follow the law of the land and try to disrupt the peace.”

We reached out to Orry, but received no reply till the time of going to press.

Whenever there is a series about the entertainment industry, an award show sequence is almost always woven into it. It seems to be true of Aryan Khan’s debut series, Stardom, as well. mid-day has learnt that the first-time writer-director began shooting an award function scene in Mehboob Studios in Bandra yesterday. Sources tell us that as many as 18 stars have been lined up for the sequence.

On Friday, Rajkummar Rao, Arjun Kapoor, Siddhant Chaturvedi, and Shanaya Kapoor filmed their portions. A source reveals further, “On Saturday, Aryan will shoot with his superstar-father Shah Rukh Khan, Sara Ali Khan, and social media influencer Orhan Awatramani aka Orry. Seasoned actors Karisma Kapoor and Neelam, as well as personalities from Bollywood’s inner circle, including Seema Khan, Bhavana Pandey, and Maheep Kapoor, are expected to join. With so many industry figures making cameos, it will be an exhaustive affair. The director plans to wrap up filming by Sunday.” The sequence, we are told, serves as a crucial plot point in the show.

For his maiden directorial venture that is led by Mona Singh and Lakshya, Aryan has chosen to take an intimate look at the world that he knows best—showbiz. Stardom, slated to drop on Netflix next year, has been described as the story of “an ambitious outsider navigating the glitzy yet tricky world of Bollywood.”

Last year, Orry (social media star Orhan Awatramani) threw a Halloween bash at his home in Mumbai, and this year, B-town’s favourite boy is celebrating Halloween week, where he will be donning a variety of looks. Orry, who believes the occasion gives you a chance to express yourself through your outfit, will also be doing multiple Aamir Khan looks from his films including Taare Zameen Par and Ghajini.

Contrary to the quirky outfits he’s flaunting this Halloween, Orry invited Bombay Times home, as he slipped into some gory getups to celebrate the spookfest. “Nothing is more glamorous than scariness. Imagine you are running for life, barefoot, someone is chasing you and trying to kill you... isn’t that the most glamorous thing ever, as seen in films. I would love to be running for my life as long as I don’t die,” he says.

Ask him which horror character he identifies himself with, and he says, “Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway’s character from The Witches, the dark fantasy comedy horror film).”

Orry, who enjoys participating in Halloween bashes as it tests his creative skills as he plans the whole look himself, shares some of his favourite looks from the parties he has attended. He says, “One of my first parties I attended was when I was in boarding school in Kodaikanal. I became a squid. I had blue makeup on my face, wore a blue outfit and on my head, I had a giant squid with its tentacles coming down on my body. In college, I dressed as Miley Cyrus and my friend was the Wrecking Ball. At Sussanne Khan’s party last year, I dressed as Frankenstein.”

While he loves all things spooky, Orry shares that he doesn’t believe in ghosts. “In boarding school, I thought I had paranormal encounters, but then I realized there was a scientific explanation to it.

Scream

Friday the 13th

Sorority Row

Prom Night

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Raaz

Witch: Sara Ali Khan. I think she can be a sexy witch

Nun: Ananya Panday. She can pull off this look well

Chucky: Palak Tiwari. She looks like Chucky

Zombie: Navya Naveli Nanda because I feel zombies have heavy eye makeup, and Navya with big smoky eyes can nail this look

(Halloween props sourced from: Mota’s Party Kingdom, Bandra)

Please don’t judge for what the algorithm throws on my Instagram, but I have seen videos of paparazzi calling for Ananya Panday’s attention, yelling, “ACP, ACP, ACP…”

WTF is ACP, we naturally ask Ananya, who goes, “Full props to paps for creativity.” 

She was once stepping out of the Mumbai Police’s annual gala, named Umang, where it occurred to photographers posted outside to call her ACP, as in, Assistant Commissioner of Police.

The name stuck. Sometimes they call her Bae. Meaning, the Prime Video series, Call Me Bae, that she headlined in 2024. 

“But there, they go, a-bey, abey, eh,” Ananya says. Sounds crass. She doesn’t like that so much. She likes ACP. As in, which is what I first thought, ‘Ananya Chunky Panday’, since it’s a common practice to use father’s name as middle name.

Chunky, as in the Bollywood star, from the ’80s. He has a brother called Chikki, who I had the privilege of knowing, at some point—a businessman, I realized, who was the go-to guy for many in Bollywood, if they ever got into trouble with the government, or wanted some issue or the other fixed, pronto—with customs, police, excise, etc.

Chunky, Chikki, these are kinda weird names, too, no?

Ananya laughs, “My father is Suyash. Chikki chachu is actually Alok. They keep telling me stories of how they got their [pet] names, but I don’t believe them.”

“My dad says he was very chunky, when he was born. Which is not true. He was a stick [figure]. Chachu says he loved eating chikki.” But then you don’t start out eating chikki as an infant, when you get named, anyway.

Chunky calls Ananya, Wazi: “It’s strange. He calls my mom and my sister, and now our dog, Wazi, too. I think he fears that he’ll forget our names.”

Sticking to Insta reels still, the one with Ananya that went the most viral, actually, had to do with her co-actor, from Gehraiyaan (2022), Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (2023), Siddhant Chaturvedi, over a round-table conversation, with young actors, discussing nepotism in the film industry.

Ananya was roughly making a point about how nepotism may be too blanket a term. Which is when Siddhant chimed in with the now-famous line, “When their struggles begin, is when our dreams get realized!” With a foot in the door of the film industry, after all.

“I think Siddhant had just written that line in a hidden notebook, and was simply waiting to blurt it out,” Ananya laughs. 

To add, “I can joke about this, because he is one of my closest friends in the industry. This insider-outsider is such a dividing line, anyway. What I was trying to say is everybody has a different story. You have to eventually resonate with audiences. And many people with film backgrounds, don’t; several from outside, do.”

To think of it, while her father Chunky was indeed a star—his stardom years would probably hover between the mid-80s to early ’90s—“films like Vishwatma, Aankhen, Tezaab…”

Ananya knew of them, but ever since she was born, in 1998, “he had moved on to negative parts, and ‘character-actor’ roles.” 

Back in the day, we also used to hear about Chunky being a super-star in Bangladesh! Not that I’ve seen any of Chunky’s Bangladeshi films; fair then to wonder if it’s even true? 

Ananya says, “I have met his fans from Bangladesh. It’s definitely true.”

We actually got to Ananya’s name-business in the conversation, because of Saif Ali Khan’s daughter, Sara, who went to Dhirubhai Ambani International School, with Ananya. But would choose to never call her by her name. She’d just say, “Aye”. As in not the first letter of Ananya. Just, “Aye,” for anonymous.

From Ananya’s account, Sara comes across as quite the vicious senior. If Ananya saw Sara coming down the steps in school, she’d just take the other staircase: “She was so ‘mufat’ [loud-mouth], I was always scared of what she’ll say to me.” 

They did a play together, where Sara was the lead, and Ananya would hold the umbrella for her.

They, of course, get along famously now. Sara had just texted Ananya for her stellar performance in Vikramaditya Motwane’s CTRL (2024), before we began this episode of Sit with Hitlist, wondering how much older Ananya was from Sara, since she’s the youngest to feature in this series; with Sara, before her.

“She’ll kill me if I told you [how old is Sara],” Ananya smiles. But when you’re in school together, you will know, if you’re in Class V. Well, Sara was in Class VIII then—debuting in films in 2018, with Kedarnath. The same year Janhvi Kapoor debuted with Dhadak. 

Together, the three could form the top female trio of GenZ leads in Bollywood, currently. To give you a sense of the passage of time, when Sit with Hitlist started (in 2017, with Aamir Khan), none of them were professional actors.

Ananya belongs to Bollywood’s class of 2019, starting with Student Of The Year (SOTY) 2—Karan Johar’s teeny-bopper franchise, aimed at introducing fresh faces in mainstream Hindi films. 

Ananya claims her jaw dropped, when she first saw Alia Bhatt, similarly, enter the screen with SOTY. That’s her inspiration. Ever since she can remember, Ananya maintains she’d always wanted to be a Bollywood heroine.

“My dad had a handy-cam, with a rotating screen—a selfie, before the selfie. I was obsessed with performing lines and songs before it. Even at birthday parties, nobody had to ask—I would just dance for everyone.”

For further proof of the Bollywood bug, Ananya informs she has three things stuck on the wall of her vanity van: “A picture of Lolo [Karisma Kapoor]. A picture of Salman Khan. And [Kareena Kapoor’s] line [from Jab We Met]: Mein apni favourite hoon.” 

That’s what she admiringly gazes at, every day, before stepping out that van-door, to shoot! Which kinda also explains the early moves in her career, besides SOTY 2, of course. 

It’s the sort of work that should ideally fetch you a poster in the backseat of an autorickshaw—the old barometer for a heroine’s success in fan-culture: “Oh, it hasn’t happened to me yet. Please do send me, if you find one [i.e., a pic of hers on either side of an auto-rickshaw seat].” 

Just putting it out there, if you do find one. With her subsequent films, hence, Ananya went full-on small-town. For instance, as the hot distraction for a married man in Pati Patni Aur Woh, a rustic remake of the Sanjeev Kumar classic, that was a decent hit, with Kartik Aaryan.

Likewise, she was off to Mathura/Agra in Dream Girl 2. Not that realism was the film’s strong suit, it was still a world quite far removed for a Bandra-bred. 

Ananya says, “I’m a director’s actor. In the sense of absorbing instructions, or their insights into small-town. That apart, just walking around, shopping for mithai, being on the boat in Mathura, for a live location, gives you a feel of the world, pretty quickly.”

She could’ve carried on the same way—made it in life, though maybe not with glowing reviews. Critical acclaim doesn’t equal crores, anyway. 

Only, a certain “switch” happened in her career, wherein you can seamlessly observe an Ananya, who’s so un-Ananya—going deeper into roles, with effortlessly subtle, character-driven cinema, reflecting zeitgeist, or spirit of the times. 

What was that switch? Ananya describes it quite precisely: “[Director] Shakun Batra. He taught me to develop my process as an actor [with Gehraiyaan]. We did workshops together, with Siddhant, Deepika [Padukone]. 

“Even though I wasn’t playing the central part, I got to build a backstory for a character, that won’t even be seen on the screen. I inculcated all of that into my own training, for all my films [thereafter].”

She clearly remembers going up to meet Shakun (Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, Kapoor & Sons), first. “As you know, I’m a complete Hindi film person. I was really nervous. I thought he would be some hi-fi intellectual. So, I watched two Polish movies, to talk to him…”

Which two Polish films? “Now, I can’t remember their names,” Ananya says. Going back to Insta reels, she’s convinced this bit of the conversation will start getting shared online. The same way she got trolled, when she once admitted she hadn’t watched The Godfather!

As with Indian cinema and Satyajit Ray, among film buffs globally, Polish cinema gets most instantly associated with director Krzysztof Kieślowski. 

I wonder if she’d seen one of Kieślowski’s films? I bring up later in the chat. “Yes, [Kieślowski’s] Red was one of the films I’d seen.”

So, if the first clip from the video of this conversation does get passed around for trolling purposes, only fair that this second part is added to it too. Just saying. That said, Ananya sighs in relief, “Shakun turned out to be so chill. He’s from Delhi. My boy, basically.”

It’s not like Ananya hadn’t been through a workshop process with her debut, under Dharma Productions. But that was different. 

“I was 18. That workshop was mainly to open me up to the camera—learn [to tell] the wide-shot, from close-up. Tiger [Shroff; co-star in SOTY 2] would literally move me around, to take my mark, catch the light. I had no idea.”

She adds, “Contrary to popular perception that I grew up [in the film industry]—my dad took me to a set, only once.” That was some picture, Ananya recalls, titled “Fresh Lime or something”, which never got released—a common phenomenon, couple of decades ago. 

Gehraiyaan, for instance, was possibly the first Indian film to engage an ‘intimacy coordinator’ on the set, to execute lovemaking scenes: “It’s a must for every set. It’s about consent. But beyond that, I was too conscious as an actor, too self-aware—diligent, teacher’s pet, doing as told.”

“Which is what I’d be with Punit [Malhotra, director of SOTY 2]. But I may not find that with every director, Shakun told me. So, I had to develop a voice of my own—do a [self-interpreted] ‘take, for the love’, which might make it to the movie.”

This making of Un-Ananya involved “workshops with acting instructor, Atul Mongia, who makes you go deep into inner emotions; voice-coaching with a training institute called Strictly Speaking, breathing exercises….”

There is training on “physicality and movements” that she’s undergoing right, currently, for a 1920s period project she’s working on—that “she’s dying to talk about”, but has been forbidden from. Fair enough.

The filmography that followed Gehraiyaan speaks for itself. Okay, there was that ludicrous Liger that happened after, too. Seriously, what the hell was that? Let’s not talk about it? “You don’t have to, it’s fine,” Ananya mutters.

We move on, to: Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (KGHK), CTRL (pronounced Control), Call Me Bae (CMB). The latter is a fully frivolous/fluffy series, about a ditsy damsel, going through two lives, offline, and on the Internet. “I’m even shocked that you’ve seen it,” Ananya qualifies. 

True. I may not the TG (target group), but there is a flip that occurs somewhere towards the end of third episode of CMB, with commentary on TV news media (which is a spoof of itself), that gives the show, proper legs to stand on, thence. Apart from the accepted genre, of course.

Ananya agrees, “It’s the kinda content, I’d wanna watch, as an audience. Whether or not I’m in it. That’s what I look at [in a script], now.”

For all the fluff, Call Me Bae had something to say. “And it’s aligned with my beliefs, very strongly. Sometimes, as an actor, you’re told not to speak up so much. Or to not get political. But when you can do that, with your work, it’s so beautiful! You also reach a much wider audience.” 

Besides fine music, great performances—particularly Ananya’s; so viscerally easygoing, and easy on the eye—what’s common to KGHK, CMB and CTRL?

That she goes through heartbreak, each time! “That’s my signature. Salman Khan takes his shirt off [onscreen]. I get cheated on! I don’t want it,” Ananya laughs.

Jokes apart, what else is common between KGHK, CMB and CTRL? GenZ, and its relationship, with technology. Or, social media, to be more precise, that totally drives the mediascape, if not the world, circa 2024.

Ananya reasons, “I know people are seeing them as a trilogy of technology movies. That wasn’t the plan. But being a GenZ, these topics are attractive to me, to talk about—and that no one in cinema is [doing it]. It’s been under-represented—technology is the third part of everyone’s lives.” 

Who else to frame such films but a GenZ herself. Making Ananya also the right person, at the right place, time and age, 25, taking the new-turn, on the Bollywood front. 

For a film like CTRL, for instance, where she’s in every single scene—as a young, tech-savvy YouTuber, switching between devices/screens—Ananya herself would be as much a muse as the maal (research) for the movie, no? 

At an experiential level, she certainly knows more about the world being surveyed than the writer-director (Vikramaditya Motwane) himself. She agrees. Which is why she was brought onboard the writing process as well. 

“There was a writers’ retreat in Goa with Vikram, screenwriter Avinash [Sampat], Sumukhi Suresh [the dialogue writer]. And I was called over to sit in on the discussions. That’s when I’d make suggestions, too. Such as the fact that the [lead’s] name should be Nalini, and that she’s trying to fit in, and be cool, by calling herself Nella, instead.”

Just as Bae is actually Bella, in CMB? “In hindsight now, they sound similar. It didn’t feel like that, when I was shooting them, though,” Ananya smiles. CTRL was shot over 16 days, with work on edit, for screen-life genre, that took 16 months!

Ananya says, “The shoot itself had no green screens. The way you saw you it is the way we filmed it. In the sense of me holding two phones [one as prop, and the other as camera]. I got to design the AI [emoji] I talk to in the film too. Which is not the version in the final film.”

For inspiration for her three top films, lately—where Ananya plays a social media fiend/influencer—she’d have to look no further than her own family.

Her first cousin, Alanna Panday (Chikki’s daughter), who—much like Bae, and her bae, in CMB—publicly channels her complete married life, with her partner, Ivor, through their YouTube channel (1.4 million subscribers), and on Instagram (2 million-plus followers).

Alanna and Ivor recently got themselves a multi-part reality series, The Tribe, that dropped on Prime Video. Albeit more as a Bollywood star, rather than a content-creator type, Ananya herself metaphorically leads 25 million followers on Instagram.

I wonder what she makes of the influencer culture herself, while very much a part of it, in a sense.

She says, “I see it with Alanna and her husband. They put out every part of their lives. You’re never present; in the moment. It’s hard work. And then you see what works [online]. So, maybe, you’re not into PDA [public display of affection], but there’s traction, so you do it. As actors, we don’t have to be so public.”

Ananya’s a phone addict, nonetheless. Like so many of us. Her mother, Bhavana, though, she says, is more cued in to social media. Bhavana, of course, became quite the reality TV star through the Netflix series, Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives.

By the way, that’s where I first saw this thing called the Paris Debutants’ Ball, with Maheep and Sanjay Kapoor’s daughter, Shanaya, on the ballroom floor, among supposed global elites. Sorry to sound terribly middle-class, but WTF is a debutants’ ball—a Jane Austenian matchmaking soiree?

I ask this to Ananya, because she debuted on the social scene, similarly, in Paris, with the same event, that lists Vanity Fair as its title sponsor. Vanity Fair organises this?

“I’m actually not good with these things [details]—it gets covered in Vanity Fair, yes. Honestly, when my mom first got this invite over mail, she thought it was a prank.

“What I really liked about it is that, well, I didn’t study abroad. I see that with my sister [Rysa], who goes to Tisch [School of the Arts] in New York, and gets to interact with people from all parts of the world. I got to do that at the ball. Then, it’s also the first time we went through camera, hair, make-up—it was a training of sorts.”

What is it, though? “I was 17. As were everyone else—Reese Witherspoon’s daughter, Ava; [comedian] Steve Harvey’s daughter, Lori; the guy [with me] was the prince of Sweden, that I found out later… They pick 20 girls from across the world. We are all in touch.”

I’m guessing a networking event for the young then, and their folks, perhaps.

It’s easy to tell how Ananya would’ve easily fit in, though. There’s a natural gal-pal quality about her. Not that I’m friends with too many her age—but you can tell.

Also, as she fills you in on her family friends, or BFFs, as it were: Shanaya, Navya Naveli (Amitabh Bachchan’s grand-daughter), Suhana (Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter).

Their WhatsApp group is called Charlie’s Angels. There’s another one, Ananya’s Fans: “Named by me, of course,” she says.

Her fans online, incidentally, are called ‘Ananyans’! She provides them a fair peek into her life, through paps, and posts online. This is stuff that makes showbiz, showbiz, anyway.

Outside of that, I think there’s a relatable side to Ananya as a pure conversationalist. She might look a bit of an insouciant space-cadet. Which was my impression of her—changed totally by the fact of how she chats so unaffectedly. To the point that when our hour-long time’s up, she goes, “What? It’s over? Weren’t you gonna ask me about Orry?”

Did tell her that I would. Because we saw a coaster lying in the coffee-table of the studio that said ‘Orly’—shortened form of ‘Oh, really?” We misread that as Orry, before the chat began. 

So, since she asked for it—may as well educate readers on the existentialist query, “Who the hell is Orry?” We mean the social media influencer, who’s only papped with movie-stars, except, nobody knows what he does for a living.

Ananya and Orry are, evidently, friends. And I don’t mean the question in terms of the phenomenon itself—of people famous, for being famous. Instagram is simply the new Page 3. But, no, we must know—who is Orry?

Ananya says, “I’ve known him 10 years.” Where did she meet him? “At a nightclub called Tryst [in Lower Parel]. He’d come with common friends.”

Who was this common friend? “Can’t remember. I think Shanaya. But he’s been friends with all of us—much before we became actors. He went to college in LA, with Janhvi. He was in the same year, if not the same class, with Sara, in school.”

Sara went to Dhirubhai. Ananya tells me, “He’s a South Bombay boy, who went to Cathedral [School].” And then she adds, “I’ve known Orry for a decade, but I still don’t know what his family looks like.”

“Whatever he’s doing is working [for him]. I could make a five-minute documentary on Orry and you still won’t know who he is. He’ll always be a mystery.” Okay then. Or, well, whatever.

Uorfi Javed loves a good scandal. She was thrilled when she got her first death threat. “I felt like a star,” she says. She thinks throwing a party for her haters would be great fun. May as well “monetize the hate.” When she is not making news, she asks her PR team to cook up a controversy to shake things up. To get things going, she offers to post something provocative about getting breast implants on her Instagram page that has 5m followers.

We know all this through Uorfi’s new reality show ‘Follow Kar Lo Yaar’. Over nine episodes, the influencer lets us into her home, her work meetings, and her constant hustle to be rich and famous. Put simply, she wants to be the Indian Kim Kardashian. She isn’t coy about her ambitions or the things she does to achieve them. We learn that she has spent crores till date on fillers and Botox.

“I want to look 20 when I am 50,” she says. She’s hired a talent management team to get her work. There’s a Chinese fast-food brand that wants her to go to a cricket match wearing a dress made of wet noodles. Another makes her wear an outfit that looks like a giant loaf of bread. And then there’s her unique talent of turning household items into outlandish costumes. So far, she’s used eggs, tennis rackets, ropes and spoons, to name a few.

This isn’t your standard struggle story, and her stardom isn’t the usual movie star kind we find more palatable. “We felt there’s aspiration in her story. A small town girl from Lucknow, breaking into an industry where she knows no one. She’s come out of nowhere,” says Meghana Badola, executive producer of the show.

In 2016, Uorfi did bit parts in television shows. In 2021, she appeared as a contestant on the widely watched reality show Bigg Boss OTT, where she struck out early. Steadily, she took over our Instagram feeds wearing risqué costumes that earned her a lot of attention and a bunch of legal notices. Uorfi fairly credits her stardom to the paparazzi who, as we see on the show, are literally a phone call away. She returns the favour by providing crazy engagement on their social pages.

“While everyone else is selling perfection, Uorfi uses negativity,” explains Viral Bhayani, a senior photojournalist with millions of followers.

“Initially when I started posting her photos, my wife threatened to leave me because she felt I was promoting nudity and vulgarity. I communicated this to Uorfi and she understood. She’s worked towards bringing innovation and creativity in her outfits. People can see she’s intelligent, smart and funny. Now when brands approach me for projects, I pitch her over Bollywood celebrities,” he adds.

Uorfi’s popularity forces us to reframe our understanding of fame, and who deserves it. Even amongst influencers, personalities like Uorfi and Orhan Awatramani (known as Orry) are aberrations. They can’t be slotted under comedy, food, beauty, travel, dance — the most common categories of creators. Then why are we so invested in their lives?

“Uorfi is a new-age creator whose category is shock value, so her journey is a little different. There’s no good or bad, that’s just her niche,” explains Aditi Shrivastava, co-founder and CEO of digital content company Pocket Aces that also owns the influencer management company Clout.

She adds that this is now a legitimate skill. “What is beautiful about digital is that it is so democratized. Influencers are not dependent on an executive. Instead, they’re dependent on the millions following them. And money follows followers,” she adds.

This is true for Orry too, who is famous for having famous friends and attending parties. We don’t know what he does (remember ‘I am a liver’?). He’s made a career out of not having one. This can be infuriating to many, but as long as he’s got you hooked to his reels, it’s all good.

“Orry is a social experiment. He’s the most famous plus one. We are all talking about him. If that’s the goal, then that is achieved,” says Kim Sharma, executive vice-president New Media, Dharma Cornerstone Agency, the company that represents Orry. She points out that recently a theatre chain chose Orry to be the face of a campaign to bring people back to the movies. “They could have used any actor, but they called him because he moves the needle for the brand,” she says.

In that case, is it fair to discount them as vapid internet stars? Uorfi has aggressively shut down anyone who dares undermine her celebrity status. And there’s been a fair bit of that. That said, she shows remarkable self-awareness while dissecting her stardom.

“I haven’t achieved anything to have fans. I only have haters,” she says when invited to a fan event for creators. In a moment of vulnerability, she also wonders, “What if this goes away? I don’t have family money.”

Perhaps, she knows that at some point, shock value may run its course. Her next goal is to be taken seriously as a female entrepreneur. As she gets there, she will probably weave some new scandals and leave the cameras on.

A favourite with the paparazzi, Orry, out of the blue, became hugely popular on social media sometime last year. How? He was seen at almost every B-Town party, hobnobbing and posing with stars, mainly the young brigade of showbiz. For the longest time, the question on every netizen’s mind was – Who is Orry and what does he do? Curiosity around him kept growing, and in a recent interview, his response, “I am a liver” to a question, went viral. Orry talks to BT about his Bollywood buddies, parties and more.

There were speculations that his ultimate goal is to become an actor. Orry clarifies, “I have zero interest in acting. I did not grow up with dreams of being on TV or in movies. Many of my friends are actors or are becoming actors. It’s not an easy job. You are at the gym, you are at various offices, reading scripts and listening to narrations. I don’t even understand Hindi. A film set is the last place I want to be on. I haven’t even grown up watching too many Bollywood films. However, I just go to support my actor friends. I watch their films. I am a supporter.”

Known to attend and host glamorous parties, Orry says that putting a party is a “business project”. “I have a team that works on everything until 24 hours before the party. Hosting a party is a business project. It is a lot of fun and satisfaction, but also a lot of work. We make sure there are food options for everyone. A party without any decoration is a no party at all! Every party needs to have a theme. Once I hosted a Meet Me On A Monday party, it’s for people who can party on a Monday and can get away with it on a Tuesday. An intimate party for me is no less than 100–120 people,” he shares.

Orry can hop across five parties back-to-back before he retires home. And the one tip he seriously follows is the advice he received from Paris Hilton! “Paris Hilton once told me that you should never be at a party beyond 3 am. And if you are at a party beyond 4 am, it means that you are jobless and have nothing to wake up to. I don’t get wasted at a party. After all, I came to have a good time and not fall off a staircase.”

Orry, who has many besties in B-town, says that the first star kid he befriended was Sara Ali Khan. And when it comes to turning to someone for some heart-to-heart conversations, his go-to people are Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor. “The two are always emotionally available for me. A couple of summers ago, when I had hit rock bottom, my friends were by my side. Khushi and I grew closer during that time.”

There are ups and downs in friendships, and ask him if it’s hard to maintain a rapport with his celeb friends, and he says, “Every thick friendship is going to have some problems, and if you don’t vent it out, you are going to hate your friend and explode. I am sure my friends talk about me behind my back too, and I will be very confused if they don’t.”

Has actress Shruti Haasan tied the knot? That was the question on people’s minds after socialite Orry addressed Shruti’s partner Santanu Hazarika as her husband in a recent session on social media. Shruti took to Instagram on Tuesday to clear the air; she wrote, “So, I’m not married. As someone who has been open about every single thing, why would I hide this? LOL. So, people who don’t know me at all, please calm down (sic).”

When we reached out to the actress, she clarified, “It’s just so silly. I wish people who don’t know me wouldn’t talk about me. I have lived my life with complete openness and honesty. If I were married, why would I hide it? I posted a clarification because my social media was spammed with this news… It was very funny. I was laughing at it.”

When asked about Orry calling her rude, Shruti said, “I don’t know who that (he) is. I am busy doing my work and living my life. My focus has always been on people who bring good energy into my life and around me. I have always said this, and I stand by it - I am like a mirror, I treat people exactly the way I am treated, and I am never sorry for it.”

During an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session, Orry was asked whether any celebrity had shown him an unnecessary attitude while posing for a photo. He replied, “Shruti Hasan. Not for posing cause I never asked her, but she was very, very rude to me at an event that I had actually got her into and I don’t even know her! Felt very bad, but there was probably some misunderstanding cause I am good with her husband and I adore him. This will get sorted out in time. However, I heard from the rumour mill she called me a ‘Pune’ like a spot boy or something (sic).”

‘I work on myself. I am a liver.’ These lines by Orhan Awatramani aka Orry in his earlier interviews became quite famous. And they continue to define his personality. A social media sensation, a global fashion influencer and Bollywood’s Gen-Z BFF, Orry just came, smiled, posed, got papped and became the most talked-about person on social media. So, it’d be right to say that 2023 saw him everywhere — from parties, events and award shows to pap pages and all over Instagram. As we settle down for a chat during Orry’s recent visit to Delhi on a chilly afternoon, he reflects on the year.

Ask if he agrees that he got more than what he expected in terms of all the love and fandom that came his way, and the 24-year-old says, “I wouldn’t say the year has been more than what I expected. I wouldn’t say less either. I had no expectations. And when you expect nothing, anything you get is something. I didn’t go out and give that ‘Work on myself interview’ thinking that, ‘Oh, I’ve to say it and it’ll go viral’. And then that ‘liver’ interview happened. But that was just me being me and talking the way I talk.”

But Orry had become a pap favourite even before those interviews happened. While many celebs tip off the paparazzi about their whereabouts these days and then act surprised on spotting them at the airport or outside the gym, Orry feels there’s nothing wrong in calling them. He admits having done that so many times.

“Firstly, I have a giant blue Mercedes G Wagon, which is really hard to miss,” he says, adding, “I don’t need to call the paps if I’m at a restaurant or if I’m pulling up. But I’m not going to lie. Have I called them before? Of course I have.”

He continues, “If I like my outfit, I’m looking great and I want to get pictured, I’d call them. Also, whether you call them or not, at some point, you’re going to get clicked. So, I don’t feel any shame in calling them. If I’m going for a party, I’d rather get photographed entering when I’m looking lovely, rather than when I’m exiting — sweaty, wasted or drunk like a troll walking out of the restaurant. Having said that, 99% of the time, I haven’t called them.”

“When you make a public profile, you make yourself a personality; you’ve given up the right to privacy. You can’t then complain that people are making fun of you. So, when I see young guys making videos and content on me, it’s hilarious, I find it very creative, and I often meet them for pictures.”