Healthy rivalry

Ananya Panday feels that star-kids have an advantage as they have easier access to people from the industry, and that she considers Dhadak star Janhvi Kapoor her biggest competition. Talking about the debate around nepotism, Ananya said: “I still agree that we have an advantage and we get to meet people. We have easier access to people from the industry, as we have grown up around them. But now that I’ve got that chance, it’s unfair for me to waste it. I want to make my father proud.”

“There are so many examples of such talented people who have not come from the film background like Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma, and then there are actors like Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt who have come from film families and done so well. So, it all comes down to the audience,” added the daughter of Chunky Pandey. The Student Of The Year 2 star also recalled her first audition.

“I remember when Aladdin had come to India, there were a bunch of people who auditioned. We had to record a video, which I did on my phone. I had worn this red outfit and had to read the dialogues for Jasmine. The scene went really well, but then they also asked us to sing and I can’t sing to even save my life. So I really got rejected,” she said.

She opened up about her journey in an episode of Starry Nights GEN Y, which is aired on Zee Cafe. Asked about three things that she would learn or swap with Suhana Khan, Ananya said: “I would like to learn her dancing and acting skills, and would love to swap my closet”. Confessing her biggest competition, she shared: “Janhvi Kapoor is my biggest competition in this film industry.” — IANS