Bollywood's newest star Ahaan Panday, who made his big-screen debut with Saiyaara, has opened up about a lesser-known aspect of his identity. While the world knows him by his popular name, the actor has now revealed that both he and his sister, Alanna Panday, actually have different "Hindu names" that tie directly to their family's love for cinema, particularly Yash Raj Films, the banner that launched him.
What's Happening
- Ahaan shared in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India that their parents gave them two names owing to their interfaith background.
- "I think it goes back to my grandmother; that was the person close to me whom I lost. Yash Raj Films was a dream for me, it was the cinema I grew up with, the cinema my grandmother dreamed I would be a part of. She used to call me 'Raj' all the time. My sister's Hindu name is Chandni, based on the film Chandni, and my Hindu name is Yash; we're big filmy Yash Raj [Films] lovers," the Saiyaara actor revealed.
- Despite receiving offers from elsewhere, Ahaan said his decision to debut with YRF was driven by instinct and emotion.
- "When Adi sir asked me, it was instinctive because I believed it was my destiny. It was just this childhood dream of mine; I've seen these heroes my whole life, emulated them, looked up to them and that was [what I wanted to be] the first chapter of my professional life. I'll look back on this and be very happy, and I know my grandmother would be very happy. It was her dream for me to be an actor; I wanted to be a writer. Somewhere, I did this for her," he added.
Background
Ahaan's launchpad film Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri, tells the story of a rebellious musician and a songwriter battling Alzheimer's, played by actress Aneet Padda. The film has already made waves at the box office, collecting a whopping Rs 564.84 crore worldwide, according to Sacnilk.
Belonging to one of Bollywood's well-known families, Ahaan is the nephew of actor Chunky Panday and cousin of actress Ananya Panday.