Chunky Panday reveals Ananya Panday was uncomfortable doing Vijay Deverakonda's 'Liger': ‘She felt too young for it’

Veteran actor Chunky Panday recently revealed that his daughter, Ananya Panday, had reservations about doing Liger, as she felt she was too young for the role. In an interview with Mashable India, he admitted that he had encouraged her to take up the film, believing it to be a commercial entertainer with strong box office potential.

Recalling Ananya’s concerns, Chunky shared that she had just started her career and felt uncertain about Liger. “She was uncomfortable. She said, ‘Maybe I am too young for this.’ She was confused then,” he said. Ananya had made her debut at 18 in Student of the Year 2, and at that time, her youthful appearance made her look even younger, which only added to her hesitation.

Despite her doubts, Chunky advised her to go ahead with Liger, which starred Vijay Deverakonda and was backed by Karan Johar. However, in hindsight, he acknowledged that his daughter might have been right. The film faced significant criticism, and Ananya’s performance in it was not well received.

Since then, Ananya has shifted her focus toward content-driven projects like 'Kho Gaye Hum Kahan', 'CTRL', and 'Call Me Bae', which have helped change public perception about her as an actor. Chunky admitted that after Liger, he decided not to influence her career choices anymore. He also confessed that if Ananya had asked his opinion about 'Call Me Bae,' he would have advised against it, simply because of his old-school mindset.