"I don’t want to do a film just because I have time."
Ananya Panday has graced the cover of The Nod Mag, showcasing couture ensembles while reflecting on her career, family ties, and life beyond the spotlight.
The feature begins in rain-soaked Mumbai, where Panday arrived at a late shoot after a hectic day of events and interviews.
Yet she remained radiant and poised.
At 4 pm, she walked in without complaint. By 9 pm, she was still twirling to Lana Del Rey, humming softly between takes, smiling with ease.
She admitted, “Right now I just want to go home, work out, and sleep,” but continued with calm dedication, earning admiration from the crew.
Her ability to feel both ordinary and extraordinary defines her.
“I don’t think of myself as extraordinary,” she said. “I think of myself as me.”
The actor emphasised her selective career choices.
“I don’t want to do a film just because I have time,” she explained, contrasting with her father’s generation.
She elaborated: “My dad’s generation had to do two or three shifts a day, sometimes just because of personal equations. But now I can wait.”
Addressing the “nepo baby” label, Panday was frank. “It’s a fact. My dad is an actor, and I’m in the industry. I’m not ashamed,” she said.
She added proudly, “I get to take his legacy forward. My brother Ahaan is doing it now, too,” making clear her pride in continuing the family name.
Discussing Ahaan, her excitement shone through. She recalled childhood choreographies and his Dubsmash videos.
“Honestly, I always felt like he was meant to be on screen,” she said.
Watching him in Saiyaara overwhelmed her.
“I thought he looked so good, so expressive with his eyes, just a complete star. I don’t usually cry, but I howled.”
For Panday, that moment felt transformative. “It felt like something really big was happening, like a huge shift,” she said of her brother’s early stardom.
While Ahaan enjoys his first successes, Ananya continues to chart her own path.
After Kesari 2 in April 2025, she has kept a low profile.
Her next big project is Call Me Bae season two, where she reprises her Gen Z-rooted role of Bella Chaudhary in the much-anticipated follow-up.
Before returning to sets, she has embraced downtime, enjoying a getaway to Mykonos and an extended Miami holiday, glimpses of which she shared on Instagram.
With her striking Nod Mag cover and thoughtful reflections, Ananya Panday cements her reputation as both a rising star and a grounded voice of her generation.
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