Ananya on her ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’ character and benefits of therapy

Ananya Panday is all set for the release of her upcoming film ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’ on Netflix and the actress revealed she relates “a little too much” with the character she plays in the film. In a freewheeling conversation, Ananya spoke about her character Ahana, her resolution for the year 2024 and much more. Talking about identifying with her character, she said, “I identify a little too much with Ahana. It feels as if Arjun was stalking me or spying on me. But I feel it was real pertaining to that particular age group.

“Ahana was dealing with some things in life, in that pocket of time, so I could relate to her a lot. But because I have lived that character now, I feel more grown up and mature.” Opening up on her resolution for 2024, Ananya said, “I will be more consistent with therapy. I started this year and want to carry it forward. It has made a big difference in my life. I want to be mentally stronger.”

‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’ is a coming-of-age drama directed by Arjun Varain Singh. It narrates the story of three best friends who manage their goals, relationships and emotions together. Produced by Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar under the banners of Excel Entertainment and Tiger Baby, the film features Ananya Panday, Adarsh Gourav and Siddhant Chaturvedi in lead roles. It is scheduled for release on Netflix on December 26.

Panday made her acting debut in 2019 with the teen film Student of the Year 2, co-starring Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria, which was produced by Dharma Productions. Writing for Scroll.in, Nandini Ramnath felt that Panday showed potential in an unremarkable film. The film underperformed at the box office.

Panday next starred in Pati Patni Aur Woh (2019), a remake of the 1978 film of the same name, alongside Kartik Aaryan and Bhumi Pednekar. She played a secretary who indulges in an affair with a married man, which was portrayed by Ranjeeta Kaur in the original. India Today mentioned that Pandey is “bland and boring with no spice.”

In 2020, Panday appeared in the action film Khaali Peeli, starring Ishaan Khatter. The film was released digitally on Zee Plex. She next appeared alongside Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Dhairya Karwa in the 2022 romantic drama Gehraiyaan, which released on Amazon Prime Video.

The film, and her performance, received positive reviews, with Anna M. M. Vetticad from Firstpost writing, “The surprise in this ensemble is Panday who brings a gravitas to Tia’s confusion and innocence that makes you wonder why she chose to debut with the hollow gloss of Student of the Year 2”. Her final release of the year came with Vijay Deverakonda in Puri Jagannadh’s action film Liger, a bilingual production in Hindi and Telugu. The film was a critical and commercial failure, with Panday’s performance being panned.

Agencies