"I stopped dreaming for a while."
Aneet Padda is the new face of Cosmopolitan India’s latest cover, celebrating her rise as one of Bollywood’s most promising young talents.
The Saiyaara star opened up about her inspiring journey from teenage rejection to red carpet success.
The 22-year-old actor reflected on her earliest memory of acting, recalling her school play at age 10.
She described how performing felt like an “interesting way of being weird” that people actually applauded.
That moment, she said, sparked her fascination with the craft.
However, a lack of encouragement from friends and her father made her doubt herself.
“For the longest time, I told myself, ‘You are so silly for even wanting to do anything about this.’ I stopped dreaming for a while,” she shared.
At 17, Aneet began scouring the internet for auditions, but her search took a risky turn.
She landed on several fake websites promising opportunities to aspiring actors.
“Almost every production house in the Hindi film industry has my audition tape, a terrible biodata, and Snapchat filter pictures,” she revealed.
During the pandemic, she sent cold emails to nearly 70 production companies out of sheer desperation to find credible work.
Eventually, she learnt that casting agencies were responsible for managing auditions and deals for actors.
Her persistence paid off when she made her acting debut in Revathi’s Salaam Venky alongside Kajol and Vishal Jethwa.
The slice-of-life drama marked her first big-screen appearance and introduced her to audiences as a fresh face with depth.
She then impressed critics with her role in Prime Video’s Big Girls Don’t Cry, a web series featuring Pooja Bhatt, Raima Sen, Zoya Hussain, and others.
The series became a streaming success, helping her build momentum in the industry.
Aneet’s breakthrough came with Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, a romantic drama that turned both her and co-star Ahaan Panday into overnight sensations.
The film became one of the highest-grossing Indian films of 2025 and the biggest romantic hit in recent memory.
Their onscreen chemistry captured the audience’s imagination, earning praise from Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar, and Mahesh Babu.
While Aneet has not yet announced her next project, fans are eagerly awaiting her return.
For her Cosmopolitan India cover, Aneet radiated luxury and elegance in a series of striking looks.
Her cover outfit, designed by AFEW by Rahul Mishra, was paired with exquisite Tanishq Diamonds jewellery, including a gold and diamond necklace, a rose gold and tourmaline ring, and gold cluster rings.
Other standout looks included a Shivan & Narresh ensemble complemented by Tanishq’s rose gold and diamond pieces, and a chic July Issue dress layered with an Rkivecity jacket and Tanishq accessories.
She also stunned in a Saaksha & Kinni jacket with Rkivecity pants, styled with Gucci jewellery and a Studio Love Letter chain.
Each look reflected her versatility and evolution from a determined newcomer to a bona fide Bollywood star.
Aneet Padda’s Cosmopolitan India feature not only celebrates her glamour but also her grit.
Her journey from sending cold emails to becoming a national sensation mirrors the resilience of a new generation of actors redefining success on their own terms.
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