Ananya Panday

Actress

Born on October 30, 1998, in Mumbai, Ananya Panday is a prominent Indian actress who has evolved from a teen icon to a critically recognized performer in Hindi cinema. The daughter of veteran actor Chunky Panday and costume designer Bhavana Pandey, she was raised in a creatively influential environment and completed her education at Dhirubhai Ambani International School. After making a high-profile debut at the Le Bal des débutantes in Paris, she entered Bollywood in 2019 with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year 2, a performance that earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. While her early career was marked by commercial romantic comedies like Pati Patni Aur Woh (2019), she began garnering serious critical acclaim for her nuanced performances in more complex projects, starting with the Shakun Batra-directed domestic drama Gehraiyaan (2022) and the Gen-Z digital exploration Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (2023), the latter of which won her the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actor (Critics). The year 2024 and 2025 proved to be a major turning point for Panday as she established herself as a versatile lead across both streaming and theatrical platforms. She won praise for her comedic timing in the Amazon Prime series Call Me Bae (2024) and her portrayal of a lawyer in the period drama Kesari Chapter 2 (2025). In the late 2025 holiday release Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri, she played the lead role of Rumi, an idealistic young woman torn between a burgeoning romance with Kartik Aaryan's character and her responsibilities toward her aging father. Beyond her screen work, she has become a significant force in the global fashion industry, being named the first Indian global ambassador for Chanel and appearing on the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list in 2025. As of early 2026, she is focused on her next major release, the romantic drama Chand Mera Dil, which is scheduled for a theatrical premiere in April.