‘I start filming Call Me Bae Season 2 really soon and we’re filled with lots of love from the audience from season 1 so I hope they enjoy this one too.’
Ananya Panday turned 27 on October 30.
“I love birthdays! I love cake I love balloons and I love gifts and I’ve always been this way since I was a little girl,” Ananya tells Subhash K Jha.
A year older, wiser? The last two years have been a time of tremendous churning and change in your career. Do you feel more secure and confident in your space?
I definitely feel happier and more confident.
Happier with the kind of work I’ve been doing, and by the experiences I’ve had, and the love from the audience I’ve received, and confident in terms of just working on my craft more and learning as much from my directors and co-actors around me.
How are you bringing in your birthday? Are you a cake and balloon girl?
I’m an everything girl! I love birthdays! I love cake, I love balloons, and I love gifts, and I’ve always been this way since I was a little girl.
I’m spending my birthday this year with my friends and family. Celebrating my best friend’s wedding as well.
I love everything about my birthday.
What are your childhood memories of your birthdays?
Having really fun birthday parties which mostly involved swimming and lots of games and dancing on all the Hindi songs and doing the hook steps with my friends.
Also on our birthday we were allowed to wear coloured clothes instead of a uniform to school and that always made me feel extra-special doing that, and distributing chocolates to my classmates and teachers and everyone wishing you from the different classes. It made me feel very special.
What is the best birthday gift you have ever received?
My dogs.
Though young, you have gone through a lot as an adult, how do you view your journey so far?
Extremely grateful for all of it… the good and the not so good. I wouldn’t change anything about it. Learned a lot and excited to continue learning and growing.
Tell me about your forthcoming assignments.
I have Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri releasing on December 31 with Kartik Aaryan which is going to be a really fun film and hopefully the audience will celebrate and bring in the New Year with us.
I also start filming Call Me Bae Season 2 really soon and we’re filled with lots of love from the audience from season 1 so I hope they enjoy this one too.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
