Ananya Panday Biography: Age, Movies, Family and Career
Ananya Panday (born 30 October 1998) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films and streaming series. The daughter of actor Chunky Panday and designer Bhavana Pandey, she debuted in Student of the Year 2 (2019) and won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She has since won praise for streaming projects such as Gehraiyaan, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Call Me Bae and CTRL, and for her role as a lawyer in Kesari Chapter 2 (2025), which won her the Zee Cine Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2025 she became Chanel’s first Indian global ambassador.
Ananya Panday Latest News (October 2026)
- Chand Mera Dil (2026): Her 2026 romance Chand Mera Dil, opposite Lakshya, got mixed reviews and did not do well at the box office, though some critics praised her performance.
- Zee Cine Award 2026: She won Best Supporting Actress at the 2026 Zee Cine Awards for Kesari Chapter 2.
- Call Me Bae Season 2: She is returning as Bella Chowdhary in the second season of the Prime Video series Call Me Bae, which is reported to be close to completion.
- Global brands: After becoming Chanel’s first Indian global ambassador in 2025, she was announced as a global ambassador for American Eagle in December 2025.
Ananya Panday Profile, Age and Wiki
| Bio | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Ananya Panday |
| Profession | Actress |
| Years active | 2019 – present |
| Known for | Student of the Year 2, Call Me Bae, CTRL, Kesari Chapter 2 |
| Career | |
| Debut | Student of the Year 2 (2019) |
| Telugu debut | Liger (2022) |
| Streaming | Gehraiyaan, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Call Me Bae, CTRL |
| Awards | Filmfare Best Female Debut; IIFA Star Debut; Zee Cine Best Supporting Actress (2026) |
| Initiative | So Positive (anti-cyberbullying) |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of birth | 30 October 1998 |
| Age (as of 2026) | 28 years |
| Birthplace | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Zodiac sign | Scorpio |
| Nationality | Indian |
| School | Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai |
| Relationships and Family | |
| Father | Chunky Panday (actor) |
| Mother | Bhavana Pandey (costume designer) |
| Sister | Rysa (younger) |
| Cousins | Ahaan Panday (actor), Alanna Panday |
| Marital status | Unmarried |
Ananya Panday Early Life and Family
Ananya Panday was born on 30 October 1998 in Mumbai. Her father is actor Chunky Panday, known for films such as Aankhen and the Housefull series, and her mother, Bhavana Pandey (née Khosla), is a costume designer. Her mother is Punjabi. She has a younger sister, Rysa.
The Panday family is well known in Mumbai. Her grandfather, Sharad Panday, was a heart surgeon. Her uncle Chikki Panday is a businessman and her aunt Deanne Panday is a wellness coach; their children are YouTuber Alanna Panday and actor Ahaan Panday, who made his own debut in 2025. Ananya has described her childhood as “very privileged and cushioned” and has said she wanted to act from a young age.
She studied at Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai until 2017. That year she attended Le Bal des débutantes in Paris, which was covered by Vanity Fair. She did not go to film school; she has said that film sets were her school.
Bollywood Debut: Student of the Year 2
Ananya made her debut in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year 2 (2019), opposite Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria. She played Shreya Randhawa, a rich college girl. The film did poorly at the box office, but it launched her career. Later that year she played Tapasya Singh in Pati Patni Aur Woh, a remake co-starring Kartik Aaryan and Bhumi Pednekar, which was a commercial success.
The two 2019 films together won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut, and she also won the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year (Female) for Student of the Year 2. Her next film, the action-comedy Khaali Peeli (2020) with Ishaan Khattar, was released online during the pandemic.
Gehraiyaan, Liger and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan
In 2022 Ananya took on a more serious role in Shakun Batra’s Gehraiyaan on Amazon Prime Video, playing Tia Khanna alongside Deepika Padukone and Siddhant Chaturvedi. The film was well received, and she won the ITA Award for Best Debutant Actress – OTT. Later that year she made her Telugu debut in the Hindi-Telugu bilingual Liger opposite Vijay Deverakonda; the film failed both critically and commercially.
In 2023 she had a brief role in the hit comedy Dream Girl 2 with Ayushmann Khurrana and a song appearance in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. She then led Netflix’s Kho Gaye Hum Kahan with Siddhant Chaturvedi and Adarsh Gourav, a film about friendship and social media. Her performance as Ahana won her the Filmfare OTT Critics Award and the Zee Cine Award for Performer of the Year.
Call Me Bae and CTRL: Streaming Success
2024 was a turning point. In the Karan Johar-produced Amazon Prime Video comedy Call Me Bae, she played Bella “Bae” Chowdhary, a rich fashion influencer who is cut off by her family and has to make her own way in Mumbai. The series got mixed reviews, but critics praised her comic timing, and she won the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series (Female).
A few weeks later came Vikramaditya Motwane’s Netflix thriller CTRL, a “screenlife” film told through phone and computer screens. Ananya played Nella Awasthi, an influencer whose life is taken over by a dangerous AI app. Critics praised her performance as a Gen Z woman caught up in technology. She was named Youth Icon of the Year at NDTV Indian of the Year 2024 and also voiced Riley in the Hindi version of Inside Out 2.
Kesari Chapter 2 and 2025
In 2025 Ananya starred in Kesari Chapter 2, a courtroom drama with Akshay Kumar and R. Madhavan set after the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. She played Dilreet Gill, a fictional lawyer who helps C. Sankaran Nair take on the British Raj. She trained for over a year in a Punjabi dialect and shadowed practising women lawyers for the role. A Filmfare review praised her restraint, and the film was a moderate commercial success. The role won her the Zee Cine Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2026.
Later that year she reunited with Kartik Aaryan for the romantic comedy Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri, which did not do well at the box office. In 2026 she starred opposite Lakshya in Chand Mera Dil, a romance about a young couple facing an unplanned pregnancy. The film got mixed reviews and failed commercially.
Brands and Endorsements
Ananya is one of the most in-demand young faces for brands in India. She has endorsed Puma, Lakmé, Maybelline, TRESemmé, Garnier, Skechers, Fastrack and Timex, among others. In 2025 she was named Chanel’s first Indian global ambassador, and in December 2025 she was announced as a global ambassador for American Eagle. She has also worked with Swarovski and Jimmy Choo. Kroll estimated her brand value at US$35.2 million in 2024. In 2025 she was listed in Forbes Asia’s 30 Under 30 and on The Business of Fashion’s BoF 500.
So Positive: Her Anti-Bullying Initiative
In 2019 Ananya started So Positive, a digital initiative to raise awareness about cyberbullying and build a kinder online community. It was named Initiative of the Year at the 2019 Economic Times Awards. She has spoken openly about the trolling she has faced herself since her debut.
Nepotism Debate
As the daughter of an actor, Ananya has faced criticism over nepotism. She has acknowledged that her background gave her advantages but has said access alone is not enough: “It isn’t as easy as people say it is.” Comments she made at a 2019 roundtable about her father’s career drew backlash online. Critics have generally been kinder to her streaming work than to her big-screen commercial films.
Ananya Panday Movies and Shows List
- 2019: Student of the Year 2, Pati Patni Aur Woh
- 2020: Khaali Peeli; Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives (herself)
- 2022: Gehraiyaan, Liger
- 2023: Dream Girl 2, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan
- 2024: Call Me Bae (series), CTRL
- 2025: Kesari Chapter 2, Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri
- 2026: Chand Mera Dil
Ananya Panday Awards
- Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – Student of the Year 2 and Pati Patni Aur Woh
- IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year (Female) – Student of the Year 2
- ITA Award for Best Debutant Actress – OTT – Gehraiyaan
- Filmfare OTT Awards – Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (Critics) and Call Me Bae (Comedy Series)
- Zee Cine Award for Performer of the Year – Kho Gaye Hum Kahan
- Zee Cine Award for Best Supporting Actress (2026) – Kesari Chapter 2
Why Ananya Panday Stands Out
Ananya started her career facing heavy criticism, but she has built a body of work that critics now take seriously, especially on streaming platforms. With awards for Call Me Bae, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan and Kesari Chapter 2, major global brand deals and a social initiative of her own, she has become the face most often linked with Gen Z in Bollywood. Other young stars from film families include Shanaya Kapoor, Suhana Khan and Sara Ali Khan.
Lesser-Known Facts
- She won Filmfare’s Best Female Debut for two films released in the same year.
- She is Chanel’s first Indian global ambassador.
- She voiced Riley in the Hindi version of Inside Out 2.
- Her cousin Ahaan Panday is also an actor.
- She trained in a Punjabi dialect for over a year for Kesari Chapter 2.
- She started the So Positive anti-cyberbullying campaign in 2019.
Related Biographies
- Shanaya Kapoor
- Suhana Khan
- Sara Ali Khan
- Tara Sutaria – Student of the Year 2 co-star
- Janhvi Kapoor
Ananya Panday FAQs
How old is Ananya Panday?
Ananya Panday was born on 30 October 1998, so she is 28 years old in 2026.
Who are Ananya Panday’s parents?
Her father is actor Chunky Panday and her mother is costume designer Bhavana Pandey.
What was Ananya Panday’s first movie?
Her first film was Student of the Year 2 (2019), opposite Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria.
Is it Ananya Panday or Ananya Pandey?
She spells her name Ananya Panday, like her father Chunky Panday. ‘Pandey’ is a common alternative spelling.
Which awards has Ananya Panday won?
She has won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut, the IIFA Star Debut award, Filmfare OTT Awards for Kho Gaye Hum Kahan and Call Me Bae, and the 2026 Zee Cine Award for Best Supporting Actress for Kesari Chapter 2.
Is Ananya Panday married?
No. Ananya Panday is not married.
What is Ananya Panday’s latest movie?
Her latest release is Chand Mera Dil (2026). She is also returning for Call Me Bae Season 2.