Navigating the world of showbiz is no easy feat. Many actors, time and again, have opened up about their struggles with fame and success, with popular names like Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra, Bobby Deol and Janhvi Kapoor revealing that they suffer from imposter syndrome. Now, in an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Ananya Panday divulges that she too deals with it.
She shares, “My imposter syndrome comes from something as simple as when someone says my name. During interviews and stuff, I feel like my name isn’t really mine, and it makes me feel like a third person. That pushes me to suddenly become like someone else. When I see myself on a billboard, I feel like it’s not me that I’m looking at. The same thing happens when I watch one of my films. I watch them like an audience member and forget that it’s actually me on screen."
And that, Ananya feels, is precisely why she seeks validation from those around her, especially on a film set. “I constantly need validation because I’m very hard on myself. Even when a director okays my shot, I’m never happy with it. I always feel like I could’ve done it better. If it were up to me, I’d reshoot everything all the time because I know I can always improve," she states.
But does her imposter syndrome also stem from the noise she faces on social media, particularly from trolls trying to pull her down? “It depends on the day. Some days, I read something negative and I’m not affected by it. Other days, I keep thinking about how one person on Instagram said I suck, and I start to believe that I might actually suck. This happens more when I’m already having a bad day on set, where I’m struggling with a shot. It’s strange how social media can stay in your mind and impact you in bad ways," she points out.
Many would say that in recent months, Ananya has silenced her critics with Kho Gaye Hum Kahan and Call Me Bae, both of which earned her rave reviews. The actor, who will next be seen in Netflix’s CTRL, a cyber-thriller directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, believes these projects have helped boost her confidence as an artist. “It makes me feel good about the choices I’m making," she remarks.
Ananya adds, “People questioned my decision to do a series and discouraged me from taking on too many OTT projects early in my career. That made me wonder, what if the audience doesn’t watch them? But now, with these successes, I feel reassured that I’m on the right path, working with good people, and that it’s all paying off. I don’t worry about where my career is headed because I trust that all my decisions will, hopefully, pay off in the end."
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