Ananya Panday reveals how Karan Johar helps her face criticism as a star kid: ‘He doesn’t shield me, he pops the bubble’ | Hindi Movie News
Ananya Panday, who debuted with Student of the Year 2 under Karan Johar‘s Dharma Productions, has often been at the center of discussions on nepotism in Bollywood. However, the actress recently revealed that Johar has never tried to shield her or create a protective bubble around her.
In a chat on Raj Shamani’s podcast, Ananya shared how Karan’s approach has helped her face challenges head-on in the real world. “He is very perceptive and open,” Ananya said. “Karan doesn’t want to shield himself, so I don’t think he wants to shield any of us. He wants us to be in the real world and get as much exposure as possible.”
Denying claims that Karan creates a safety net for her, the Call Me Bae actress revealed, “Not at all. He is the first one to pop the bubble. If he doesn’t like something I do—be it a performance or something I say in an interview—he’s the first to call and tell me directly. He doesn’t hold back.”
Ananya described Karan as a supportive figure rather than a controlling force in her career. “Rather than telling us what to do, he’s just there as a strong pillar of support,” she added.
The daughter of Chunky Panday and Bhavana Pandey also addressed the persistent debate around nepotism and the terms “insider” and “outsider.”
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“People have turned the term ‘star kid’ into a bad word, but I don’t think it should be,” she remarked. “When someone watches something on screen, they think, ‘Oh, she’s so-and-so’s daughter.’ It doesn’t need to be like that. People should just focus on the work. I think it’s just become very divided, like ye insider hai, ye outsider. The industry has given us so much, and the audience has given us so much.”
Ananya further highlighted the balance in Bollywood, where both film family members and newcomers are thriving. “There are people from film families who are thriving, and there are people not from film families thriving even more,” she noted.
On the work front, Ananya was last seen in Vikramaditya Motwane’s CTRL alongside Vihaan Samat. She will next star in an untitled film based on the life of C. Sankaran Nair with Akshay Kumar and Madhavan. Additionally, she will feature in Chand Mera Dil opposite Lakshya, both backed by Karan Johar.
