Ananya Panday was ‘uncomfortable’ doing Liger, felt she was ‘too young’ for it, recalls Chunky Panday

When Ananya Panday worked in films like Pati Patni Aur Woh, Dream Girl 2 and Liger, her performances were often criticised but as soon as Ananya started selecting projects like Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, CTRL and Call Me Bae, her perception changed completely. She started gaining a lot of respect as an actor and even the audience could now see that Ananya was not a great fit for films like Liger. In a recent interview, her father Chunky Panday said that Ananya was unsure about Liger as she believed that she was too young for the role. He admitted that he encouraged her to pick up the film as he felt that this was an old school, mainstream entertainer that had the potential of being a hit.

Liger starred Vijay Deverakonda in the lead role, and also had Chunky in a supporting role. Liger was produced by Karan Johar, who also produced Ananya’s debut Student of The Year 2. “When she asked me if she she should do this film… she was thinking that she was too young for it. She said ‘Papa, I am too young to do this.’ I said you do this, it’s a commercial, big film but maybe she was right. She was too young to do it,” he said.

ALSO READ | Shark Tank India 4 judge Viraj Bahl reveals why deals fizzle out after the show: ‘Sometimes founders are there just for the marketing’

Story continues below this ad

Chunky said that Ananya made her debut at 18 and at the time, she had a baby face that made her look 16. “She was uncomfortable. She said maybe, I am too young for this. She was confused then,” he recalled and shared that since Liger, he has never influenced her decision making. He also added that if Ananya had asked his opinion about Call Me Bae, he would have said no. “From that day on, I never put any pressure on her. Maybe I was wrong. I am old school. I don’t know anything else. If she had asked me ‘Papa, should I do Bae?’ I would have said no,” he said.

In an earlier chat shared on We Are Yuvaa’s YouTube channel, Ananya shared that she was “sad and upset” after Liger’s failure. She added,” We are not doing a film together again.” When Chunky said that sometimes, one just has to do a film, she said, “No, you are not allowed to give me advice after Liger.”