Self-proclaimed Alia Bhatt fangirl Ananya Panday has always tried to avoid comparisons to the talented actress. In a recent interview with Filmygyan, while promoting her film CTRL, Ananya responded to comments claiming she will be the “next Alia Bhatt.” Incidentally, both CTRL and Alia’s film Jigra are released within a week of each other, as CTRL is released on an OTT platform, and Jigra is set for the big screen.
Asked about the fan comparisons, Ananya said, “No,” betraying regard for Alia’s achievements. Continuing, she said, “I think Alia is too good. It’s a huge compliment that people think that, but I can’t touch what Alia has done, ever.”
The connection between the two actresses goes back to Ananya’s first film, Student of the Year 2, in which Alia made a special appearance. The two shared screen space for the song “The Hook Up Song,” where their camaraderie was rather evident. Alia herself was launched with the first film, Student of the Year, in 2012.
Ananya was last seen in the OTT series Call Me Bae, a comedy-drama exploring privilege, empowerment, and the influence of social media. The ensemble star cast consisted of strong players like Gurfateh Pirzada, Varun Sood, Vihaan Samat, Muskkaan Jaferi, Niharika Lyra Dutt, and Lisa Mishra.
CTRL is a cyber-thriller that is releasing on October 4 on Netflix. It also stars Vihaan Samat. The story of Ananya and Vihaan as Nella and Joe, who are content creators cum lovers, have fantastic internet usage. The screenplay is by Vikramaditya Motwane and Avinash Sampath.
Alia Bhatt recently completed a decade in films for which she won a National Award for her performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi. The star’s next release, Jigra, has already created excitement among the fans.
