HT Leadership Summit 2026: Ananya Panday calls herself a greedy actor, shows interest in mythology while praising Ramayana
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
Star Ananya Panday and filmmaker Imtiaz Ali were guests at the 24th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on Saturday. The duo spoke about cinema to HT's Sonal Kalra, and the star opened up about everything from women's representation in cinema to the kind of roles she would love to play. She also expressed an interest in mythology while praising Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana.
Adding to this, At the HT Leadership Summit, Ananya was asked if she watched Ramayana and shared, “I did. Blown away, love, love loved it.” She recalled growing up hearing Indian mythological tales from her mother and grandmother, leading to her interest in mythology.
Meanwhile, Expressing interest in starring in a mythological movie in the future, she added, “I think it’s just a fabric of our society as Indians to tell stories and have them passed down from generation to generation. Palace of Illusions is one of my favourite books, so that’s all I’m going to say.” Chitra Banerjee’s 2008 novel The Palace of Illusions is a retelling of the Mahabharata told from Draupadi’s perspective.
Notably, Ananya also spoke about the kind of roles she would like to play in the future. “I like everything; I am a very greedy star. I want to be able to do every possible thing,” she shared. The star also added that she loved crying on screen, chalking it up to her not being an emotional person in real life. “I find a lot of actors saying that. They really love going there emotionally. I do enjoy comedy a lot; I feel like it’s very freeing,” she added.
As per the latest buzz, Ananya also spoke about Indian cinema having space for everything from testosterone-pumping films to female-led ones. “We also have films like Lokah or Gangubai or Kahaani or Piku. Imtiaz sir is such an example of how he has created a balance between male and female emotions. There would be no Rockstar without Heer. It’s not that she exists in relation to him. He also exists in relation to her. I think he has created that so beautifully. So, we always have examples of films where women are shining, and I don’t think it’s just about a movie where the woman is the central character,” shared the star.
In further updates, Ananya last starred in the romantic drama Chand Mera Dil with Lakshya as her co-star. The movie was directed by Vivek Soni and produced by Dharma Productions. It starred her alongside Lakshya.
On top of that, Despite having a Master's degree in Journalism and over a decade of experience in print and digital media as a field reporter and sub-editor at organisations such as The Times of India and Reader's Digest, Neeshita Nyayapati remains a movie buff first and a Chief Content Producer second. She fell in love with movies in childhood and believes nothing matches the magic of watching a good movie that moves you with a warm tub of popcorn in hand. Her love for writing about cinema follows that. Come Friday, you'll find her at her happy place, the movies, catching the latest rom-com or masala offering, for reviews or otherwise. As for the rest of the week, she's here reporting the juiciest news in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi or bringing out the best of celebs in interviews. While her niche is Telugu cinema, Neeshita likes to dabble in a little bit of everything to stay up to date. From movie announcements to scandals and hard news angles, she has explored it all. A good book, a comforting cup of hot chocolate, puppy kisses and a stunning beach view are all she needs to unwind. Her passion for biking and travelling has taken her to various places across the country. She has found peace in everything from the frozen lakes of Gangtok to the coffee plantations of Coorg and the dense forests of Bandipur, to the monasteries of Darjeeling. But no matter where she goes, Neeshita loves coming across inspiring and moving stories. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times