Ananya Panday

Ananya Panday is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi-language cinema. Born on October 30, 1998, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, she is the daughter of actor Chunky Panday and costume designer Bhavana Pandey. Her extended family includes a younger sister, a grandfather who was a heart surgeon, and relatives working across business, wellness, digital content creation, and acting. She attended Dhirubhai Ambani International School until 2017 and participated in Paris's Le Bal des débutantes that same year. Having aspired to act from an early age, she considers film sets to be her primary practical training ground.

Panday made her professional acting debut in 2019 with the teen romantic comedy Student of the Year 2, produced by Dharma Productions. Later that year, she starred alongside Kartik Aaryan and Bhumi Pednekar in Pati Patni Aur Woh, a commercially successful remake of a 1978 film. Her performances in these two early features earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. In 2020, she appeared in the action feature Khaali Peeli, which was distributed directly to a digital streaming service.

She expanded her roles in 2022 by starring in the Amazon Prime Video romantic drama Gehraiyaan, earning positive critical feedback, followed by the bilingual action production Liger, which experienced critical and commercial failure. In 2023, Panday made a brief appearance in the box-office hit Dream Girl 2 and starred in the social media drama Kho Gaye Hum Kahan. Her portrayal in the latter earned her a Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actor in a Web Original Film – Critics (Female).

In 2024, Panday headlined the Amazon Prime Video comedy series Call Me Bae, winning a Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series (Female). That same year, she starred in the Netflix screenlife thriller CTRL, earning a Filmfare OTT nomination. Returning to mainstream theatrical films in 2025, she portrayed a fictional Punjabi lawyer in the courtroom drama Kesari Chapter 2, which achieved commercial success, and starred in the romantic comedy Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri.

In 2026, Panday starred in the romantic drama Chand Mera Dil and was confirmed to reprise her role in the second season of Call Me Bae. Throughout her career, she has publicly addressed discussions surrounding nepotism within the Hindi film industry. In 2019, she launched So Positive, an initiative aimed at raising awareness about online harassment and promoting a healthier digital environment, which was named Initiative of the Year at the Economic Times Awards.

Panday's career is marked by multiple honors and commercial partnerships. She was included in Forbes Asia's 30 Under 30 list in 2025, alongside recognitions from GQ India, The Business of Fashion, and The Hollywood Reporter India, and previously appeared on The Times of India's 50 Most Desirable Women list. In addition to endorsing consumer brands such as Puma, Maybelline, and Skechers, she acts as a brand ambassador for Swarovski, Jimmy Choo, and American Eagle, and in 2025 was named Chanel's first Indian global ambassador.