Ananya Panday has found himself at the center of online controversy after a Bharatanatyam fusion sequence in ‘Chand Mera Dil’ went viral on social media. While some netizens mocked the performance by calling the author and columnist “Nepo Natyam”. Shobhaa De now he has come out firmly in support of the actor. Reacting to the backlash, Shobhaa questioned why Ananya alone was targeted for a performance that was conceptualized by an entire creative team.Sharing her thoughts on Instagram, Shobhaa De pointed out that Ananya is not a professionally trained Bharatanatyam dancer and argued that criticism should also include the creators and choreographers behind the sequence. “He’s not a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, and if you have to call someone, shouldn’t it be a choreographer and a director? Why should he be directed?” he said The columnist also emphasized that actors will often perform difficult art forms, despite having no formal training in them.Talking more about the demands placed on performers in the film industry, Shobhaa explained that actors are regularly pushed beyond their comfort zone for the sake of a scene or a song.“Not only him, I feel there is a lot of pressure on our young stars and also on our older stars, most of them were not classically trained but were expected to perform classical dances or fusion dances or modern dances, whatever kind of dance the director thought was necessary for a sequence,” he stated.He also highlighted how challenging acting can be, especially when artists are expected to dance, emote and lip-sync perfectly on screen.Defending the actress further, Shobhaa added, “They did it, they lip-synced, they danced, they showed expressions. Is that all easy? It’s not easy at all. How many Hollywood stars do you know? How many big international stars have to do all that and look gorgeous and gorgeous and look at the film in love, because of everything the performance demands?”Coming to the trolling aimed at Ananya, online viewers often react without understanding the full context of a scene. “I haven’t seen the movie, I’ve seen the clips, but it’s constantly trolled and called ‘Nepo Natyam’, it sounds cool, but it’s tried,” he stated.What sparked the controversy?In ‘Chand Mera Dil’, she plays Ananya Chandni, the daughter of a Bharatanatyam dancer. In one sequence in the film, the Bharatanatyam-inspired movement performs a fusion routine that combines hip-hop and blocking styles at a reunion event. The action appears twice in the narrative and leaves Lakshya’s character Aarav mesmerized.The film marks the first on-screen pairing of Ananya Panday and Lakshya. Before that, Ananya appeared in ‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’ opposite Kartik Aaryan, while Lakshya was recently seen in ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ produced by Aryan Khan.Who is Shobhaa DeShobhaa De, born Shobha Rajadhyaksha, is an Indian novelist, columnist and former model known for her fearless writing and sharp social commentary. Known as the ‘Jackie Collins of India’, she has won acclaim for her honest and daring portrayal of the glamorous and complex world of urban elites, relationships and high society.
