“I AM TERRIFIED OF REJECTION…”
Our June covergirl is possibly the youngest actor Cosmopolitan India has had in many years. Ananya Panday has just come out of her teens, and already has a big-banner debut movie to her credit (with another one in the pipeline), 3.2 million Instagram followers, and paps chasing her wherever she goes… Things that most girls only dream of when they’re fresh out of high-school, you know? Yet, when you speak to her, Ananya has the poise and self-assurance of a seasoned Bollywood star. “Being an actor is the ‘role’ I’ve been preparing for all my life,” she grins. “And now that I’m finally here, that I’m a part of this industry, I am really grateful. However, I’m feeling quite bored right now—like, so much was happening this past year, and now, suddenly, I’m missing being on set, meeting everyone…”
As we talk more, Ananya goes. So I met Karan [Johar] and asked him to guide me on whether I should go to college or become an assistant director,” she reminisces. “During our meeting, Karan suggested I should just audition for the film and I was like, ‘Yeah, why not?!’. I always wanted to do this, and if it didn’t work out, I’d study further. So I met Puneet [Malhotra] and auditioned for the film twice, and ended up getting the role. And the rest, as they say, is history!” There’s that wide grin again.
