Ananya Panday Says Rumours About Cheating, Fake Academic Qualifications Upset Her: ‘People Believed It’ – News18

Last Updated:November 23, 2024, 20:25 IST

Ananya Panday spoke about the struggles she faced during her early Bollywood days, including social media rumours and doubts about her academic achievements.

Ananya Panday spoke about the struggles she faced during her early Bollywood days, including social media rumours and doubts about her academic achievements. She had shared earlier that she was accepted into top U.S. universities but chose acting when offered Student of the Year 2. On Barkha Dutt’s Mojo Story, she recalled how online criticism affected her confidence. “When I was in school, social media had just started. I was called all sorts of things, like hunchback, flat screen, chicken legs… That was in school, we were in our bubble. Now, because of social media, the smallest voice can be amplified. It did affect my self-confidence, it still does today. Self-love is a journey, not the destination.”

Ananya shared that she first understood how criticism affects everyone when her younger sister Rysa asked not to be tagged on Instagram. Despite not being in the spotlight, Rysa faced online negativity. Ananya said, “I’m an actress. I’m in a position of power. Sometimes I have to be on social media even if I don’t want to be on social media. Some days I definitely don’t want to be on social media. But I also saw the impact on my younger sister Rysa. She’s not an actor and has no plans of becoming one, but every time we posted a picture of her, she would say, ‘Don’t tag me, because people follow me and message me nasty things’.”

Ananya Panday recalled facing false rumours during her first year in the industry. She said that someone created a fake Instagram account claiming to know her from school and accused her of lying about her education. “When I had just started out, in my first year, someone made a fake account on Instagram and they started writing that they were in school with me and I was like this and like that, and I had lied about my education… And at first, I was like, ‘No one is going to believe that’. But people did believe it. And then, when it spun out of control, that really upset me,” she said.

Ananya Panday’s recent projects include CTRL and Call Me Bae, marking her debut in the web series space. She is also set to star in an untitled film alongside Akshay Kumar and R Madhavan. Additionally, she has Chand Mera Dil and Call Me Bae Season 2 lined up for the future.