Although she faces several criticisms, the Bollywood’s young actor Ananya Panday has recently impressed the audiences with some intense roles. Rajeev Masand recently opened up about Ananya Panday’s smart career moves. He noted her willingness to listen and work hard amid nepotism debates.
Positioning and team collaboration
In an interaction in Unfiltered Entertainment, Rajeev Masand stressed the importance of alignment between talent and team. He explained how celebrities need to embody the image they project. “One has to try and become that person he is sort of positioning himself as. As a team, you need to have those hard conversations, sit down and ask, ‘Where we are at and where we want to go?’ It has to be done collaboratively. I don’t think a team can chart out your career or plan your strategy. That’s when it really works, when your team and you align yourself to a goal that you collectively want to achieve. You need to take the right call – what brand or film is leading you to that goal,” he emphasised. This approach has clearly worked for Ananya Panday.
Ananya Panday as the best example
Rajeev Masand pointed to Ananya Panday as a strong case study. She joined the agency four years ago with a few releases already under her belt. He described her as bright, young and ambitious.“If you ask for an example, I would like to say Ananya, she is the best example. She is lovely. She came to us four years ago, had a few releases. She is also someone who is bright and young. All the other kids got attacked in that whole nepo argument a little bit. But, clearly there was someone who was ambitious and willing to work very hard.”He added that she stood out by being open to feedback.
Ananya Panday capitalizing on strengths with range
Ananya Panday identified her comfort zone early. She decided to build on it while seeking variety within that space.“We realized that early on. She is also someone who listens. You must have your opinion, but you must be willing to listen. Whether it’s the agent, or actor, or maker who says, ‘I know everything’, that’s a death knell. Look at how rapidly the landscape is changing. She is someone who came and figured out what she wants. She said that she is good in an English-speaking urban girl role, and I will capitalize on that. Even within that, she wanted some range.“Masand cited Gehraiyaan, Call Me Bae and CTRL as projects that showcased her growth. He said, “You saw a film like Gehraiyaan. She stood out because you believed that she could be that character really, and yet there was a little bit of heavy-lifting, and she came into her own in Call Me Bae. That was a tricky one because that kind of a character can easily be grating and irritating. It’s about striking that balance. She did that very well.“He continued, “We did that together. There was a lot of conversation around it. She was unsure if she should do the heavylifting. She knew she could, but had doubts if Vikram would trust her with it. That’s a great example of when the team and artiste work together.”
Current and upcoming projects
Ananya Panday was last seen in ‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’ opposite Kartik Aaryan. The film received mixed reviews from audiences. She has lined up exciting work ahead. This includes the romantic musical ‘Chand Mera Dil’ with Lakshya, set for May 2026 release.
