Ananya Panday: I believe in healthy competition with my contemporaries

At the age of 22, Ananya Panday has already had three releases and is shooting for two more apart from having more projects lined up. But the actor says that she isn’t looking to be part of any rat race.

“I believe in healthy competition. It can be really fun and motivating,” she says, adding, “Having said that, I really get happy when other people my age do something good. I was really excited to watch Coolie No 1 (2020), and kept telling Sara (Ali Khan, actor) she’s so fabulous in all the songs. We jam to each other’s music. I feel happy when I see everyone do well. It also motivates me and helps me set the benchmark higher,” she says. Liger, opposite Vijay Deverakonda, and Shakun Batra’s untitled next are on Panday’s 2021 calendar. Getting carried away with the fame would be pretty easy, but Panday has people around her to keep her focused.

“My family and friends keep me grounded. I still have the same friends I had when I was four years old. I was in the same school with the same batch mates for twelve years. Nothing in my personal life has changed at all. Once I am done shooting, I am at home, a normal girl who fights with her sister, and her parents don’t allow her to do things (laughs). Both my parents (actor Chunkey Panday and Bhavana) are extremely humble,” says the actor.

Panday has seen the Hindi film industry change a lot from her father’s time. She adds, “Definitely people are different here, it’s like a different zone now, compared to when my dad was a part of it. I feel there’s still a sense of unity and brotherhood in the industry. It has also been kind and welcoming towards me. I feel they are very supportive. All the films I worked in and am working in, everyone I met on those sets are like family to me. I am in touch with most people.”