Biography
Who is Ananya Panday?
Early life and background
Ananya Panday was born on October 30, 1998, in Mumbai, India. She is the daughter of actor Chunky Panday and costume designer Bhavana Pandey. She has a younger sister named Rysa. Her family background includes her grandfather, who was a heart surgeon, and her aunt, who works as a wellness coach.
She completed her schooling at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School, attending until 2017. During her time as a student, she participated in the Le Bal des débutantes event held in Paris. Ananya has described her childhood as privileged and cushioned. From a young age, she held ambitions of pursuing a career in acting, often referring to film sets as her primary school for learning the craft.
Acting career beginnings
She launched her professional acting career in 2019. Her first appearance was in the teen movie Student of the Year 2, which was produced by Dharma Productions. Later that same year, she appeared in the romantic comedy Pati Patni Aur Woh alongside actors Kartik Aaryan and Bhumi Pednekar. This film became a commercial success, grossing over one billion rupees worldwide.
For her work in these two initial films, she received the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. In 2020, she starred in the action feature Khaali Peeli, which was distributed via a digital platform. She also appeared in the 2022 action film Liger, a bilingual production in Hindi and Telugu. Her father encouraged her to take the role in Liger when she initially felt hesitant about the project.
Streaming and critical recognition
The actress shifted focus toward streaming projects, which earned significant critical attention. In 2022, she appeared in the romantic drama Gehraiyaan, released on Amazon Prime Video. She followed this with the 2023 coming-of-age drama Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, where she portrayed a character affected by the pressures of social media. Her performance in this project earned her a Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actor in a Web Original Film.
She continued this momentum in 2024 with the thriller CTRL and the comedy series Call Me Bae. Her work in Call Me Bae secured her another Filmfare OTT Award, this time for her performance in a comedy series. Critics noted that her urban roles in streaming films often suited her acting style better than her commercial cinema projects.
Recent projects and media image
In 2025, she returned to commercial cinema with the courtroom drama Kesari Chapter 2. She played a fictional lawyer involved in a case set against the backdrop of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. To prepare for this role, she studied Punjabi dialects and shadowed practicing lawyers for over a year. That same year, she appeared in the romantic comedy Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri.
She continued her work in 2026 with the film Chand Mera Dil, where she starred opposite Lakshya. Throughout her career, she has faced public discourse regarding the topic of nepotism in the film industry. She has spoken openly about these challenges, acknowledging the existence of industry disparities while also defending the necessity of talent for sustained success.
Birthday and age
Ananya Panday was born on October 30, 1998, which makes Ananya 28 years old today. That birthday falls under the Scorpio sign. Ananya shares the date with 53 other famous people.
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