As the debate continues online Ananya PandayBharatanatyam-inspired dance sequence in ‘Chand Mera Dil’, veteran choreographer and dancer Sandip Soparrkar has come out strongly in defense of the actor. In a scathing post on Instagram, Soparrkar called the reaction “absolute rubbish” and accused critics of hypocrisy, arguing that cinema has always interpreted classical dance.
Sandip Soparrkar called the criticism “rubbish”.
Sandip Soparrkar, who mentored Ananya Panday in the past, took direct aim at the “so-called gatekeepers of classical dance”, accusing them of selectively targeting a young actress for a film performance while remaining silent as fusion dance styles became mainstream on reality TV and social media.He wrote, “Ananya Panday’s outrage against Bharatanatyam dance is absolute rubbish.” He added, “films are about storytelling, entertainment and interpretation, not about keeping pedagogic textbooks.”Soparrkar argued that the overlap between classical, commercial and fusion dance has been present in popular entertainment for years, making the current outrage inconsistent and hypocritical at worst. “Art evolves. Cinema adapts. Selective anger and two-faced behavior must stop,” he added, directly encouraging Ananya to put her critics aside and move on.
What Sandip Soparrkar had to say about Ananya Panday’s training and dedication
Drawing from personal experience, Sandip Soparrkar recalled his relationship with Ananya during his Le Bal des Debutantes days in Paris, describing her as honest, disciplined and hardworking. He emphasized that he trained seriously for this role and that he gave exactly what the filmmakers had planned. He asked the audience to appreciate the effort behind these performances, instead of publicly shaming the actors for experimenting with classical forms in mainstream cinema.
About ‘Chand Mera Dil’
‘Chand Mera Dil’ marks Ananya Panday’s first on-screen pairing Lakshya. Written by the author Vivek Soni and Tushar Paranjape, the film is based on a story by Soni. It has music by Sachin-Jigar, cinematography by Debojeet Ray and editing by Prashanth Ramachandran.
