Nepotism debate won’t stop, accepts Bollywood star Ananya Panday

Is your success because of who you are, or who you know?

Nepotism - giving work opportunities and advantages to your friends and family - has been the subject of debate in showbiz around the world for a number of years.

Some feel "nepo babies" - those who've been given a boost because of their parents - don't deserve their success, while Gwyneth Paltrow called that term "ugly".

But it's not just a Hollywood thing.

Bollywood actress Ananya Panday has been criticised and heavily trolled over nepotism because her father Suyash "Chunky" Panday was a successful actor in the late 1980s.

While accepting her privilege, Ananya has often disputed how much of an impact his success had on her career.

But now the 25-year-old says she wants her work to do the talking.

"I was always the first person to be like: I know I come from a [film] family, my father's an actor and obviously that's given me more access [to opportunities].

"I've never fought it. But I realised that there is so much conversation about it and people are not going to stop asking about nepotism," she tells BBC Asian Network’s Haroon Rashid.

"You think it's over but people will keep talking about it. I realised it's better to just not say anything any more and let your work speak."

In her new show Call Me Bae, Ananya plays a character which some feel has real-life similarities to her.

Bae, aka Bella Chowdhary, comes from a privileged and elite background but is soon kicked out of her life of luxury and forced to try to make it on her own.

"It's a riches to rags and almost underdog story," Ananya says.

But she says real-life experiences did not impact her decision to take the role, instead she "just went with the story and script".

"I think the lovely thing about this is that it's very self-aware.

"It speaks about the privilege, wealth and the bubble that the character is living in, which breaks in the first episode.

"A lot of people say I’m very similar to Bae. I think once people watch it, they'll see more differences than similarities," she says.

The humour in the show is quite "tongue-in-cheek with a lot of pop culture references", she says, and that includes a real-life interaction Ananya had on the topic of privilege and nepotism.

During a roundtable discussion with other actors in 2020, Ananya was saying she'd make no apologies for being her famous father's daughter and that she was "so proud of him".

After a long, impassioned speech from Ananya, Siddhant Chaturvedi, who does not come from a famous family, chipped in to support her.

"Everybody has their own struggle," he said, before switching to Hindi and uttering a line that earned nods and noises of approval from his fellow actors.

"The difference is, where our dreams come true, their struggle begins (jahan humare sapne pure hote hai wahan inka struggle shuru hota hai)."

It was a line that went viral, and was included in the script for Call Me Bae.

Ananya says it's not the first time someone tried to put this real-world line into scripted fiction.

"But in this situation it worked well because it went with the character of Bae.

"When you watch it in the scene, it's not completely jarring that the conversation happens."

As a result, she says she "felt safe in the environment".

"It wasn't the only cultural reference. I feel we don’t have that enough in our films and shows."

Despite highlighting their differences, Ananya says she does identify strongly with her character, who she feels has "a human side with vulnerability".

"I actually liked that she looks a certain way, but then turns the audience on their head. It makes you rethink everything about people who you maybe judge on a first glance."

As an actress, she says "you have to set apart the person that you are and the characters you play on screen".

"But I think it's lovely when you can bring yourself to certain characters.

"If there is a tone that I understand, that I can bring to the characters I play which make it more relatable, then I think that's more of a strength than a disadvantage."

And she hopes the character of Bae "becomes synonymous" with her.

"There are certain characters that stay with actors and people remember them for roles and I feel like she has that memorable quality about her."

While the show itself has had mixed reviews, there has been a largely positive reaction to Ananya's performance, with the Times of India saying she delivers a "relatable performance that anchors the show".

Ananya has previously received praise for her roles in films such as her debut Student of the Year 2, Pati Patni Aur Woh and Gehraiyaan.

But it does not take long for accusations of privilege to return, with comments such as "nepo" often found on posts to her 25 million Instagram followers.

Repeatedly having to prove yourself might feel frustrating, but Ananya says she is now in a different head space.

"I don't know if I'm in that zone to cry about it or complain about it anymore.

"I think that's a tag and conversation that will always stay," she says.

She adds every film acts as "a reset button" for every actor.

"No matter what you've done in the past, the audience is going to judge you on your next [film].

"What is important at this point is just to put my head down and work and make sure that every time I bowl people over with my work.

"Because that's the best that I can do.

"I have seen a shift and I do feel like it's getting better. I feel there are good times ahead."