Ananya Panday appeared alongside Vijay Deverakonda in Puri Jagannadh’s film Liger, which was released in 2022.
Liger, Vijay Deverakonda’s ill-fated Hindi-language début in 2022, was also Ananya Panday’s first mainstream commercial film. Three years after the film tanked at the box office, Ananya’s father, actor Chunky Panday, said that she was ‘uncomfortable’ with the film and felt ‘too young’ to play the role.
Chunky Panday discusses Ananya’s concern with Liger.
Ananya was 23 when she signed with Liger. In an interview with Mashable India, Chunky said that she looked younger since she had a baby face. Before Liger, Ananya acted in four films: Student of the Year 2, Pati Patni Aur Woh, Khaali Peeli, and Gehraaiyan. However, none of them were popular entertainers. Chunky said that she was nervous about choosing Liger. “When she asked if she should do this film, she felt she was too young for it.” She said, ‘Papa, I am too young to do this.’ I said you should do it because it’s a commercial and a major film, but she might be correct. “She was too young to do it,” he stated, adding, “and she was uncomfortable.” She remarked, “Maybe I am too young for this.” “She was perplexed then.”
Chunky also stated that he has recently stopped giving Ananya career advice because he was concerned about her participation in the Amazon Prime Video series Call Me Bae, which earned her a Filmfare Award nomination. “From that day on, I never put any pressure on her. Maybe I was mistaken. I’m old school. I do not know anything else. If she had asked me, ‘Papa, should I do Bae?’ I would have declined,” he remarked.
Puri Jagannadh directed Liger, which was shot concurrently in Hindi and Telugu. The movie features Vijay and Ananya, alongside Ramya Krishnan and Ronit Roy, with a special cameo by Mike Tyson. Even with a substantial budget of ₹125 crore, the film managed to earn just ₹60 crore at the box office.
Ananya’s most recent appearance was in the Netflix film CTRL, which garnered positive feedback and recognition. She will soon be seen in Kesari Chapter 2, starring Akshay Kumar.
