Liger, the 2022 film that marked Vijay Deverakonda’s Hindi debut, was Ananya Panday’s first major commercial venture. Three years after the film’s disappointing box office performance, Ananya’s father, actor Chunky Panday, has opened up about her initial doubts about taking on the role, revealing that she felt “uncomfortable” and “too young” for it.
Ananya was 23 when she signed on for Liger, but according to Chunky, she appeared younger due to her “baby-face” and was unsure about stepping into such a big commercial film. Prior to Liger, Ananya had appeared in four films—Student of the Year 2, Pati Patni Aur Woh, Khaali Peeli, and Gehraaiyan—none of which were mass entertainers. Chunky recalled Ananya’s concerns when considering the film.
Why Ananya Panday was ‘uncomfortable’ to do Liger
“When she asked me if she should do this film… she was thinking that she was too young for it. She said, ‘Papa, I am too young to do this.’ I said, ‘You do this; it’s a commercial, a big film but maybe she was right. She was too young to do it,” he shared.
“She was uncomfortable. She said maybe, I am too young for this. She was confused then.”
Chunky also revealed that he no longer gives career advice to Ananya after Liger, especially when it came to the Amazon Prime Video series Call Me Bae, which eventually earned her a Filmfare Award nomination.
“From that day on, I never put any pressure on her. Maybe I was wrong. I am old school. I don’t know anything else. If she had asked me, ‘Papa, should I do Bae?’ I would have said no,” he confessed.
About Liger
Directed by Puri Jagannadh, Liger was shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu. The film, which had an ensemble cast including Vijay Deverakonda, Ananya Panday, Ramya Krishnan, and Ronit Roy, featured a cameo by boxing legend Mike Tyson. Despite its ₹125 crore budget, the film only managed to earn ₹60 crore at the box office.
Ananya was last seen in the Netflix film CTRL, which garnered her positive reviews. She will next star alongside Akshay Kumar in Kesari Chapter 2.
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