There are Bollywood nepo babies, and then there’s Ananya Panday, the girl who took the tag, embraced the mockery around it, and made it her brand. The moment Ananya came to the big screen, the internet couldn’t resist this golden opportunity and the wave of memes began. But somewhere between Student Of The Year 2 and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, the narrative flipped, and so did the audience’s opinion. Ananya Panday owned the chaos, the humour, fashion, films, and the Gen Z aura. 

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Ananya Panday’s carefully curated aesthetic

Gen Z fashion blends nostalgic trends from Y2K and ’90s grunge. Fashion is a form of self-expression, and Ananya gets it. Sometimes, you’ll see her in a classic tank top and PJs. And on other days, she casually stuns in a Chanel black crochet top and skirt set to pose with Pedro Pascal at Paris Fashion Week 2025. And when Ananya wants to take things up a notch, she turns heads in a minimalist, vintage saree or a beautiful couture dress. Ananya Panday’s closet screams Gen Z fashion, so it’s no wonder every Pinterest-coded girlie is saving her posts for outfit inspo.

Ananya Panday’s career glow-up

The actor might have had a dull debut, but Ananya made an impressive recovery. Her recent films don’t reflect the typical Bollywood romcom narrative. They speak for a generation that’s excessively consuming social media and finding a friend in AI. From mirroring Gen Z’s insecurities in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan to exposing us to the horrors of AI in CTRL, Ananya is quietly building her niche in films. And she’s not slowing down.

With Call Me Bae, her most confident role to date, Ananya playfully owns her “nepo baby” label. She plays Bae, a pampered girl born with a silver spoon. Her character is compelled to live as a regular human being and make her name in the world on her own. Ananya also became the spokesperson for Gen Z through this role. She challenges the “lazy, confused and inefficient generation” discourse with her character’s wit and swiftness. With these roles, Ananya proves she’s no longer chasing validation; she’s choosing versatility. 

Ananya Panday’s social media game

From cute photo dumps and dog photos to candid, unfiltered mirror selfies, Ananya posts her personality. It’s the right mix of chaos and chic for an audience that scrolls for the vibe, not vanity. Her unapologetic personality is why Gen Z relates to her. Recently, people trolled her tanned look at The Ba***ds Of Bollywood premiere. And soon, she posted a story with that look, captioning it, “I’m a fan of the tan.”

In an interview with Lilly Singh, Ananya also called out the unrealistic beauty standards in Bollywood. She opened up about being criticised for being too skinny. “Everyone used to kind of make fun of that… ‘Oh, you have chicken legs, and you look like a matchstick. You don’t have tits, and you don’t have an ass.’ So, that’s what it was at first,” Ananya said. And now, with age, she said, “when her body is naturally filling out,” people wonder if she’s had surgical work done. “You can never win,” the actor said.

Ananya Panday looks effortless and easygoing in her public interactions, and that appeals to a generation that is often seen as lazy but is really just trying to make life less complicated. Love her or not, you can’t deny that Ananya is no longer a meme; she’s the moment.

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