Ananya Panday, one of Bollywood’s most promising young stars, recently reflected on her struggles with bullying during her school years. While she enjoys the spotlight today for her roles in projects like Call Me Bae and CTRL, the actress revealed a deeply personal side during a recent interview, sharing the impact of bullying on her mental health and how it shaped her journey of self-love.
The actress recalled being bullied in school at a time when social media was just emerging. She faced harsh comments and derogatory remarks about her appearance, which left a lasting mark on her confidence. “When I was in school, social media had just started. I was called all sorts of things, like hunchback, flat screen, chicken legs… That was in school, we were in our bubble. Now, because of social media, the smallest voice can be amplified. It did affect my self-confidence; it still does today. Self-love is a journey, not the destination,” she said.
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Ananya also opened up about the worst trolling incidents she has faced. Among them was a fabricated narrative created through a fake Instagram account during her early years in the film industry. The account falsely accused her of lying about her education and college admission.
Reflecting on the incident, she shared, “A lot has been said about me, so I can’t really choose one moment. Sometimes, when I can’t control a narrative that makes me upset, for instance, when I started out, in my first year (in films), someone made a fake account on Instagram, and they started writing they were in school with me and said I lied about my education and getting into college. First, I was like, ‘No one is going to believe that’. But people did believe it. Somedays, I definitely don’t want to be on social media.”
The CTRL star further revealed how these experiences impacted her mental health and led her to seek therapy. “I have done therapy in the past, I am not as regular now. I could not articulate my emotions. I used to just feel very, very down. The thing, I sometimes feel with mental health and social media, is that you may read something in the moment and you may not realise that it is affecting you, because you think ‘I am fine right now, I am having a good day, I am in the car, I am busy’. I will read a comment and I will ignore it. But weeks later, it could still be there in your subconscious somewhere and things like that really pile up,” she said.
Since her Bollywood debut with Student Of The Year 2 in 2019, Ananya has made significant strides in her career, choosing impactful projects and carving a niche for herself. She is set to star in the second season of Call Me Bae and will also appear in Dharma Productions’ upcoming film Chand Mera Dil.
