Ananya Panday addresses bullying, cheating rumours that were spread about her by supposed schoolmate: ‘They made a fake account’

Ananya Panday recalled the rumours that were spread about how she was in school, and said that the narrative got out of control.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | November 23, 2024 06:27 PM IST

4 min read

Ananya Panday wanted to quit acting. (Photo: Ananya Panday/Instagram)

Actor Ananya Panday looked back on the emotional difficulties that she experienced in the first year of her journey in the film industry. In an interview, she recalled the stories that were spread about her on social media, and the questions that were raised about the veracity of her academic achievements. Ananya had revealed that she’d gotten admission into several prestigious universities in the United States, but had chosen to pursue her dream of becoming an actor when she was offered a role in Student of the Year 2.

Appearing on Barkha Dutt’s Mojo Story, Ananya opened up about her initial experiences with social media, and said, “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.”

Also read – Ananya Panday says she was ‘terrified’ of Sara Ali Khan in school, recalls being addressed as ‘ae girl’ by her: ‘I would hide’

Ananya said that the first time she realised that everybody faces criticism is when her younger sister Rysa raised objections about being tagged on Instagram. She 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’.”

A girl who got bullied by Ananya Panday during school days exposed her entire dating history a few years ago!!
byu/isabellapintoisback inBollyBlindsNGossip

Recalling when somebody spread rumours about her online, Ananya said, “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.”

The incident in question happened when someone claiming to be Ananya’s schoolmate posted on social media that she was a bully to kids from regular households and accused her of cheating on her boyfriends. In an Instagram post, Ananya had defended the authenticity of her academic achievements, writing, “As for the people who have been trying to pull me down with these accusations, I would like to send you all lots of love, peace and positivity. And would also like to say that even though they’re claiming to be my classmates (nameless and faceless) – I’m sure they aren’t because I’ve grown up with the people I went to school with and they would never do something like that.”

From the homepage