Since her Bollywood debut with Karan Johar’s ‘Student of the Year 2,’ actress Ananya Panday has made quite the impression on the big screen. After the box office success of ‘Dream Girl 2,’ and rave reviews for her performance in ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan,’ the actress reveals her parents always wanted her to complete her education first.
In a recent interview, she said, “Before that (going to college), I had the opportunity to meet Karan (Johar, producer). I auditioned for Student (of the Year, debut film). The film worked out for me. But they (her parents), still at that time, were like, ‘Listen, we think you should go to college. You want to do the film. So later, if things don’t work out later, don't blame us. Don't say we made you do this because we want you to attend college.' But it was solely my decision.”
Explaining that while she always wanted to be an actor, the bug didn’t bite her because her father was in the business. In fact, he would never take her to his film sets, barring three occasions. “It was also something my parents didn’t take seriously when I said I wanted to be an actor. They were always like kind of particular about my college and education, and finishing that and having a backup.”
She added, "Because my dad (Chunky Panday) has had a successful run, but it's been filled with ups and downs. It's not been the smoothest of journeys. More than anything, he understood how hazy it is. The failure rate is higher than the success. So he wanted me to have a backup. And his parents were doctors. So it's a generational thing that's been happening in our family.”