Ananya Panday feels pretty much in control of her life these days. The actor, who is basking in the success of her recent series Call Me Bae, will soon be seen in Vikramaditya Motwane’s cybercrime thriller CTLR.
The filmmaker reveals that some preconceived notions about Ananya were happily proved false. “I cast her because she impressed me with her performance in Gehraiyaan, and even though the media has created a rhetoric around these nepo kids, and there were many preconceived notions about her, they are now completely shattered. I was impressed with her commitment and diligence,” says Vikramaditya.
As she wins nods from the industry and the audience for her performances, does she finally feel validated?
“There will always be people who will have something to say, no matter what you do. It's best to just keep your head down and work; you can’t please everyone all the time. We are not ice-cream, but come to think of it, not everyone likes ice-cream”, says Ananya with a laugh.
From playing a young woman caught in a murky love triangle in Gehraiyaan to a professional navigating heartbreak in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, and her recent turn as an heiress with a heart of gold in Call Me Bae, Ananya has emerged as the current favourite of the OTT space.
“With OTT one gets to do a lot more experimental work. Also, the pressure of the release date and the box office numbers are off your shoulders. But having said that, it doesn’t mean I don’t want a theatrical release. I do have one coming up next year in the theatres, and it should be announced soon,” she says.
In CTLR Ananya plays a social media influencer who creates an app to get rid of her boyfriend, only to find her entire life being dictated by technology. Though she feels that her onscreen character may not have much in common with her real personality, she related to the aspect of being watched all the time.
“You have to see stardom and social currency as two different worlds,” says the actor. “Your popularity on social media does not mean that people will come to watch your work. I see my social media audience as separate. Yes, they can help me promote my film, but to get people to watch my work is part of my job.”
Ananya says she is happy with the kind of work coming her way. “Maybe it is because of my age and personality on social media, but I see filmmakers and myself gravitating towards issues concerning social media and technology. I like that, because it’s relevant and defines our generation. It is impossible nowadays to create a love story with no social media involved.”
Celebs like Alia Bhatt and Rashmika Madanna have been victims of deep fake videos. The voyeuristic nature of social media is becoming harder to navigate by the day. Recently, screenshots of Ananya’s phone made headlines fuelling rumours about her personal life. “Earlier, I felt as actors we have to do our best to protect our private lives. But even though I try my best to keep my private life out of bounds, I’m not always successful,” she asserts.
If Ananya could create an app like her screen character, what’s the one thing she would remove from social media, we ask.
“Filters,” she responds promptly. “I would remove them and all the extra editing people do. I wish people would keep it real on social media.”
