In just over two years of her entry in the Hindi film industry, Ananya Panday has made a special and unique place for herself here. The actress has become one of the most sought-after leading actresses in the industry and I love the spunk and energy she brings to the screen with every role she plays. This year, she is also set to tap the South market with the pan-Indian actioner, Liger opposite Vijay Deverakonda, followed by Kho Gaye Hum Kahan with Siddhant Chaturvedi and Adarsh Gourav. But before that, she will be seen alongside Deepika Padukone, Siddhant and Dhairya Karwa in Shakun Batra’s Gehraiyaan.

The film that will release direct-to-OTT on February 11, will see a stark difference from the kind of parts that Ananya has portrayed on screen thus far, and even the actress acknowledges it.

An excited Ananya said,

“If I’ve learned anything, it’s that acting is a lot of reacting. So, on the contrary, it’s always a blessing to have stronger performances opposite you to feed. The whole team was working in synergy, and we were like a family where no one made me feel like I was new in any way.”

Speaking about her director, Ananya added,

“Shakun is a dream director for me. I’m a huge fan of his previous work and I was hoping and praying for a chance to work with him. I was drawn to how real, grey and complex the characters were. It was all in the writing for me — everything felt so honest and natural. I felt there was a lot I could borrow of myself for the part.”

Ananya garnered a lot of praise for the recently released posters of the film and coincidentally, her character in Gehraiyaan is named Tia. Alia Bhatt’s character also had the same name in Shakun’s last directorial Kapoor & Sons, and I am sure that as that role did wonders for Alia, this role would do the same for Ananya.