Actor Ananya Panday is enjoying the current phase of her life having completed a quarter of a century. The actor admits that turning 25 has marked a significant shift in her perspective towards life and career. “I’m already halfway through my 20s. I think we make a big deal out of every birthday. This also happens on New Year’s, you just see a big change in one day.. but it doesn’t happen like that,” she tells us, highlighting the introspection that often accompanies reaching such a pivotal age.
Reflecting on the expectations and pressures associated with reaching a certain age, Ananya emphasises that real change and evolution happen gradually, over time. “So I think more than just turning 25, the year leading up to that and the year following it, it has just been a competent change and evolution like I’m ‘turning’ 25, I don’t feel like I’ve ‘turned’ 25,” she adds.
The Student of the Year 2 actor also acknowledges a sense of increased responsibility with age as she says, “I feel like I’ve let go of the childhood excitement and I feel like I’m properly gonna adult now, but I feel like that’s something anyone can decide on any age, like someone can make that decision at 21, while someone at 30 might not feel that change.”
For Ananya, reaching the 25 mark coincided with a significant personal milestone: moving into her own home. “This went hand in hand because I had this goal. I think learning to live alone is really important in every sense, like not getting too influenced by other people’s opinions,” she muses.
Discussing her career journey, Ananya expresses her evolving perspective on acting and her aspirations within the industry. “When I started [acting], I was very excited to be on the big screen, and the dream was to just dance and sing, and enjoy myself.. Becoming an actress in that way. But over time, the kind of work I’m doing, especially with Gehraiyan and now with Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, I’m falling in love with the process of acting,” she states.
The actor talks about her desire to make meaningful contributions to the stories she tells on screen, striving to showcase different facets of her talent and depth as an actress. “I want to have a major contribution to whatever story I’m telling. Even if it’s a small part in a film, I want to make a contribution to something different to myself, and show people a different side of me,” concludes Ananya.
Wishing HT CITY on its 25th birthday
Joining HT City in its 25th birthday celebrations, Ananya gushes, “HT City is turning 25 while I am also that age sounds just amazing. I would love to wish HT City a very happy birthday. It’s a paper that I read every morning without fail. I hope that HT City also goes through a lot of growth and self-discovery like I have in these 25 years.”