Ananya Panday Opens Up About Body Insecurities and Beauty Standards in Acting

Actor Ananya Panday, who garnered praise for her performances in CTRL and Call Me Bae last year, recently reflected on her journey through body insecurities and the pressures of maintaining ideal beauty standards in the film industry. In an interview with Forbes India, Ananya shared how childhood bullying left a lasting impact on her self-esteem and discussed ways to navigate societal expectations as an actor.

Ananya revealed that she has struggled with body insecurities since her school days, despite often being perceived as fitting conventional beauty standards. She shared, "It may seem like I am very happy with my body and that I fit ideal beauty standards. I’ve heard that so much, but I am also very insecure about my body, and I have been since I was a kid. When I was in school, people would say, 'Oh, you’re a hunchback, you have toothpick legs, chicken legs, and you’re a flat screen TV.' I also heard things like, 'Why are your arms so hairy?' and all that stuff, like when you’re a kid growing up. People's words can really affect you. The fact that I still remember exactly what people said and who said it 12 years later just shows how much words can stick."

The actor further reflected on the pressures actors face to maintain a specific image and spoke about normalizing imperfections. "I think as an actor, the best I can do is talk about the fact that I have my off days too. I work at it and go to the gym every day. If I didn’t, I would also look a certain way. I was in Dubai, ate a little too much, and couldn’t fit into my skirt, and that’s okay. I think talking about that will show people that we are not perfect, and it takes a lot of work for us to look like this," she said.

Ananya has become an advocate for self-acceptance, using her platform to encourage conversations around body positivity and the realities behind the glamour.

Upcoming Projects

After a successful 2024, Ananya Panday is gearing up for an eventful year ahead. She will star in Chand Mera Dil, a romantic drama directed by Vivek Soni and produced by Karan Johar, alongside Lakshay. The film is expected to release in 2025, with an official date yet to be announced.

Additionally, Ananya will feature in Dharma Productions’ untitled project centered on the life of Indian lawyer and statesman C. Sankaran Nair. She will share the screen with Akshay Kumar and R. Madhavan in this anticipated film.

With her candid insights and a promising slate of films, Ananya Panday continues to inspire conversations and captivate audiences alike.