"Deepika Padukone inspired me as a younger female actress to make a change,” says Ananya Panday

Recently, the latest O Womaniya was uploaded on Prime Video. A group of big names from Indian entertainment gathered at the O Womaniya! 2024 roundtable to chat about the report, issues, and fixes. The attendees included Ananya Panday, Richa Chadha, Shakun Batra, Nikkhil Advani, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Ishita Moitra, Stuti Ramachandra, Director & Head of Production for International Originals at Prime Video, India, and the host, Anupama Chopra.

Sharing a powerful anecdote about her Gehraiyaan co-star Deepika Padukone, Ananya Panday revealed, “When I started out in the industry, I didn't really know that one could really stand up and reinforce what they want. I used to simply do what I was asked to do. Deepika is a woman who stands up for every person on the set, in a very polite way. Because whenever a girl speaks up she is called bossy, or difficult to work with, but she used to convey her needs in a very polite and empathetic way, which made me realize that there is a way in which you can do this.”

This experience marked a turning point for Panday. “Deepika inspired me as a younger female actress to go on further to make a change. Now I do speak up when I am not comfortable doing certain things or saying certain things, because I don't want a young girl to be spoken to in a certain manner because I am being shown like that on-screen. So now I am way more conscious about my choices, more than I have been in the past,” she added.