Ananya Panday is certainly one of the most popular actresses at present and in a short period of time, she has established herself as one of the most sought actresses.
She has been enjoying success with her recent film “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” but her journey in the industry hasn’t always been smooth. One of the biggest setbacks in her career was “Liger”, which starred Vijay Deverakonda in the lead role and also featured her father Chunky Panday in a supporting role. Despite signing the film on his advice, Ananya was reportedly uncomfortable with the project from the start and it ultimately turned into a box-office failure.
Chunky Panday recently reflected on this during an interview. He recalled that when Ananya was offered “Liger”, she hesitated and felt that she was too young for the role. He had encouraged her to take it up, believing that it was a big commercial project but looking back, he acknowledged that she might have been right in her concerns.
Having started her career at just 18 with “Student of the Year 2”, Ananya had doubts about “Liger”, feeling that her youthful appearance didn’t quite suit the role. Chunky noted that she was uncomfortable and unsure about it at that time. Following the film’s failure, he decided to step back from influencing her career choices. He admitted that if she had asked for his opinion on “Call Me Bae”, her OTT debut, he would have advised against it, yet the project turned out to be a great success for her.
Ananya herself has spoken about the poor performance of “Liger”, mentioning in an interview on a YouTube channel that she was deeply affected by the film’s failure. Afterward, she jokingly told her father that he was no longer allowed to give her career advice.
Now, she is moving forward with a strong lineup of projects. She will soon be seen in a film alongside Akshay Kumar and R Madhavan. Additionally, she is set to begin work on “Call Me Bae 2” and has reportedly been cast opposite Kartik Aaryan in Anurag Basu’s upcoming film.