Actress Deepika Padukone is embracing the motherhood phase these days. The new mom hasn’t revealed the face of her baby yet. Apart from her personal life, Deepika often grabs headlines for her professional life and how she gracefully does her job. Ananya Panday recently called Deepika Padukone ‘the most beautiful woman ever’. She recalled idolizing her while growing up.

In a new interview with Humans of Bombay, Ananya Panday got candid about Deepika Padukone and how the latter has inspired her. Ananya admitted that she has idolized her Gehraaiyaan co-star Deepika in her growing-up years.

“She is the most beautiful woman ever. More than anything on the surface, I think she is such a brave actor with the choices that she makes and also in the way she conducts herself on a set,” Ananya said.

The Call Me Bae star further noted that she learnt them from Deepika and referred to the senior actress as the “first female superstar” she has ever worked with.

Speaking about her experience on the sets of Gehraaiyaan, Ananya recalled that despite the film being “intimate and brave”, Deepika held her own. The 38-year-old actress added that she was quite clear about working on the set.

On the work front, Ananya Panday made her Bollywood debut with Student of the Year 2, co-starring Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria. Her other notable works include Khaali Peeli, Pati Patni Aur Woh, Liger, Dream Girl 2, and many more.

Ananya is now gearing up for Vikramaditya Motwane’s directorial film, CTRL. The upcoming cyber thriller is scheduled for its Netflix release on October 4, 2024. The actress is playing the role of Nella who gets caught up in the world of AI.

Directed by filmmaker Shakun Batra, Gehraaiyaan starred Deepika Padukone, Ananya Panday, Siddhant Chaturvedi, and Dhairya Karwa in the leading roles. Co-produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Shakun Batra, and Apoorva Mehta, the romantic-drama film was released on February 11, 2022.

Deepika welcomed her baby daughter with her husband, actor Ranveer Singh in September this year. Her most notable works include Padmaavat, Piku, Om Shanti Om, Cocktail, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Gehraaiyaan, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Bajirao Mastani, and others.

Ananya Panday shares a close bond with her childhood BFF, Suhana Khan and Shanaya Kapoor. The trio are often spotted during their outings in public and shower love on each other on social media. Recently, the Kho Gaye Hum Kahan actress shared that she lacked training for her debut compared to her friends who are starting their careers now. Ananya, who is the senior actor from her girl gang, expressed that her friends already know how to deal with the media.

In the latest chat with Humans of Bombay, Ananya Panday shed light on her journey in Bollywood and how it varies from her friends who have begun/are now beginning their respective careers.

“Everyone’s journey is so different…I am very happy with the time that I started. Whenever I see my friends starting out at 24-25, I feel that they are so well-prepared. They have done all their classes…They know how to deal with the media,” Ananya stated.

The Call Me Bae star shared that they come prepared on the set, however, the actress believes she lacked it during her initial career in Bollywood. While Ananya feels content with how her career has panned out, she believes that there is a long way to go.

The Pati Patni Aur Woh actress further expressed that she is quite grateful for the time she started off her career in 2019. Citing an example of her debut, Student of the Year 2, the actress continued that she isn’t sure if the filmmakers would make movies like they did during the pre-pandemic era.

The young actress recalled that the pandemic era was quite different. Ananya stated that now, a lot of things have changed including preferences of the audience to consume content.

The 25-year-old actress also mentioned how the emergence of OTT platforms after the pandemic has impacted the content while adding that she isn’t sure what her first film would have been like.

Suhana Khan made her Bollywood debut with Zoya Akhtar’s teen musical comedy, The Archies in 2023. She now has King, co-starring her father, superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

On the other hand, Shanaya Kapoor is gearing up for a pan-India film, Vrushabha, headlined by South veteran actor Mohanlal.