Ananya Panday on believing in her instincts: ‘The pressure doesn’t paralyse me anymore’

Ananya Panday

At a time when most films disappear from theatres within a week, Kesari Chapter 2 has been enjoying a steady run for almost three weeks. When we get on a call with Ananya Panday, she attributes it to the powerful story that is at the centre of Karan Singh Tyagi's directorial venture. "I had studied about the Jallianwala Bagh [massacre] in school, as did everyone. But I didn't know the extent of the details I learned while being a part of this film. I wanted to help tell this chapter of history," she says of the period drama that offers a fictionalised version of C Sankaran Nair's legal battle against the British Empire after the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

In the Akshay Kumar and R Madhavan-starrer, Panday plays Dilreet Gill, a young lawyer who becomes the protagonist's aide. Dilreet and she may be a century apart, but the actor says they have a trait in common - steely resolve. "I could connect with Dilreet's strong resolve. I have a lot of fire in me, but it may not be evident. Dilreet was the same. She had a quiet resolve. She was emotionally charged, but she didn't shout to prove her point," she assesses.

(From left) Ananya Panday and Akshay Kumar in the film

Kesari Chapter 2 has reportedly earned over Rs 80 crore in the domestic market. That's an encouraging figure when most movies are tanking at the box office. As much as collections matter, Panday notes that in such a movie, the money is a by-product. "Some films are made to generate box-office value; others, because you want to tell a story to people. My priority is the audience's reaction. [That said], it's also a business, and you need films to do well. It directly correlates to the number of people who have seen your film. So, we can start looking at it less as ‘money' and more as the ‘love of the audience'."

It has been a journey of growth for the actor, who debuted with Student of the Year 2 (2019). In the past three years, she has silenced her detractors with her mature performances. What brought on the shift? Gehraiyaan (2022), she says. "With the film, I fell in love with the process of acting. Now, I trust my instincts fully. Earlier, I'd always worry: What are people on set thinking? What will the audience think? I was so caught up in the final product that I wasn't present in the moment. But working on CTRL and Call Me Bae [2024] changed that. I no longer feel scared on set. The pressure is there, but it doesn't paralyse me anymore."