Dubai: Bollywood actress Ananya Panday may come across as the portrait of privilege and access in real life, but the notorious nepo-baby claims her perky character of a super-rich young woman in her glossy web series debut 'Call Me Bae' is far more spoiled and wealthy.
“Even though I come from a privileged family, my life and family upbringing have been very different from hers. Bae is uber-privileged and was literally born with a golden spoon. While Bae's mother prepared her to be the perfect daughter and perfect wife, my parents always wanted me to be whatever I want,” said Ananya in an interview with Gulf News.
The daughter of actor Chunky Panday and reality star Bhavana Panday believes her parents were far more democratic while raising her, unlike Bae’s, whose mother is a rigidly posh woman from South Delhi who re-inforces traditional gender roles. A scene where she asks Bae to stop learning horse-riding and schools her on becoming the perfect trophy wife to a rich business tycoon who's a professional jockey is a telling one. Her brother, meanwhile, is encouraged to ride horses better.
'Call Me Bae', out on Prime Video on September 6, chronicles the charmed life of Bella Chaudhary, fondly called Bae by her friends, who is forced to survive in Mumbai when her South Delhi princess life is cut short abruptly after her wealthy business tycoon husband catches her having an affair with her gym trainer.
Penalised for being one of "desperate South Delhi housewives" looking for some fun and frolic, Bae -- who's armed with a string of fancy short-term courses like cheese/grape pairing -- is forced to make it on her own steam in Mumbai.
Her fish-out-of-water existence is chronicled with warmth and wit in this enjoyable eight-episode series, written by Ishita Moitra, Samina Motlekar, and Rohit Nair. The show explores themes of privilege, excess, personal growth, and identity through the lens of fashionable clothes, attractive characters, and youthful energy. At some point, #PoshLivesMatter becomes more than just a hashtag—it becomes a philosophy
The parallels between Ananya and Bae’s lives are striking, making you wonder if she’s playing herself. Much like Ananya’s sunny persona, Bae remains eternally optimistic—even as she tearfully sells her designer bags to pay rent in Mumbai.
“Honestly, I don’t know where Bella began and Ananya ended. Just like Bella, I tend to rely on humor and people-pleasing a lot… But I have grown up in a very liberal home with all working women around me in the house. I have always been a hustler in the true sense. But with Bella, you realise very soon she was treated differently because she’s a girl. Her brother, being a boy, was given a lot more opportunities… Personally, I have always been allowed to follow my instincts,” said Ananya.
This Karan Johar discovery, who made her debut with the college romp 'Student Of The Year 2', agrees that this series could easily be described as a wacky lovechild if 'Gossip Girl' and 'Schitt’s Creek' went on a fun rampage, or if Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) from 'Legally Blonde' and Cher (Alicia Silverstone) from 'Clueless' united to tell their life story.
“I am a huge fan of that genre. I have grown up watching those films you mentioned; it’s been my comfort watch if I had a bad day or just wanted to sit in bed with a tub of ice cream. These are the kind of films that I always go back to. Personally, I can never have enough of this genre. If you are tired of dark drama, this series will be like a ray of sunshine.”
After having watched all the episodes, Panday’s delectable pampered queen act is decidedly cheery and candy-colored. Just like how Reese Witherspoon’s career-cementing blockbuster 'Legally Blonde' tackled workplace sexual misconduct and power dynamics in a legal firm, the series is not all fluff and tulle. It tackles a grim issue like sexual abuse with impressive sensitivity and gives a lot of thrust to the power of sisterhood. Bella may be a misfit in Mumbai, but her new-found poor, but rich-at-heart friends become her life jackets as she navigates the brutal metropolis. This was precisely what Panday loved about this show.
“Whenever we show women in films, we are always serving as a prop to the man. If there are two girls in a scene, they are always discussing a man or fighting over a man. It’s always about servicing the man. But in this series, you see girls just supporting each other. In real life, I have only seen the most beautiful friendships, and it’s lovely to see something similar being portrayed on screen,” said Panday.
In real life, she famously gets along with Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan and Sanjay Kapoor’s daughter Shanaya Kapoor. There seems to be an unspoken friendship code among them that goes beyond their acting careers.
“I was missing that female friendship theme in television and cinema, but 'Call Me Bae' shows girls supporting each other and helping each other out. We create a beautiful space where no one’s fighting over men or space. It feels great to be represented,” said Panday.
The series is also not reverential and is keenly aware that Bollywood's oft-derided nepo baby is headlining it. A scene where Bae joins a newsroom as an intern and confuses award-winning war journalist Christiane Amanpour for Christian Dior is indicative of how the makers aren’t worried about making fun of their own lead cast.
The trailer even takes a snide shot at Panday’s earlier comment on her perceived struggle in Bollywood. But Panday is also in on the joke, she says. Often, she’s the favorite punching bag when the word nepotism is bandied about. It’s often observed that many love to hate her, for the sake of hating her.
How does she feel about that?
“At first, I used to feel very bogged down by it. I used to constantly feel like I should say something. But now I realise that your work speaks louder than words. After 'Kho Gaye Hum Kahan', I got a lot of appreciation for my work and I am hoping the same thing happens after 'Call Me Bae' is out. I have really challenged myself here,” said Panday, adding that long, monologue dialogues were challenging.
While the series maintains a breezy tone overall, it also tackles a serious topic like the #MeToo movement at workplaces and in Bollywood. Like how Blake Lively’s domestic violence drama 'It Ends With Us' was marketed as a sparkling chick flick, 'Call Me Bae', directed by Colin D’Cunha and produced by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic and Apoorva Mehta, also appears deceptively frothy during its promotion.
“All the stakeholders in this series are the right people to tell this story because they all have that sensitive bone in them. They know how to deal with a topic like this. The reason why we are probably not discussing it in promotions is because the show unfolds like a mystery and it would come across as a spoiler. But the show has dealt with that issue beautifully.”
Asked if she had ever felt unsafe on any set, she said she has always felt protected while at work. Currently, the Kerala film industry is in the midst of a #MeToo storm after the Justice Hema Committee findings pointed toward rampant sex abuse in that industry. But Panday, like most privileged Bollywood insiders, has been sheltered while at work.
“In our contracts, there are a lot of clauses in place to protect women. Even on our call sheet, there’s always a helpline number if anyone wanted to complain anonymously against anyone. If anyone was feeling uncomfortable in any situation on this set, there was a helpline.”
Panday remembers how her colleagues and co-stars Vir Das and Varun Sood were such gentlemen when it came to doing intimiate scenes.
“Vir Das had a scene where he had to hold his co-star Lisa’s [Mishra] shoulders. He was so polite and kept asking if she’s OK with it… It’s really important for men and women on a film set to respect each other’s personal space. Consent before a scene is very important and I am seeing that a lot more on the set as a young actress,” said Panday. She also ensures that she’s on top of things.
“With the best of my capabilities, I try to make women and my team around me feel safe. It’s also about educating the men around me, instead of making it a men-against-women thing. Call them out if they are doing something wrong, and that’s the best way forward.”
While the shiny and sparkling series taps into sensitive issues, Panday – who counts Kareena Kapoor’s Geet in 'Jab We Met' and Genelia D'Souza's Aditi character in 'Jaane Tu ... Ya Jaane Na' as her ultimate inspiration for this series – hopes this upcoming project will go on to define her budding career.
“I remember seeing some video from 'Student Of The Year 2' and thinking: ‘I was such a baby’. I am just grateful for my journey and everything that has happened along the way… But now I am entering a new chapter as an actor. To be headlining a show like this is a huge, huge deal and I hope I get to do more meaningful roles like this one."
Don’t Miss It!
'Call Me Bae' is out on Prime Video on September 6.
