Ananya Panday says ‘didn’t judge’ Vijay Deverakonda for doing Arjun Reddy: ‘We are not what we portray on-screen’

Ananya Panday was uncomfortable with the gender politics of Arjun Reddy, but she does not judge its lead star Vijay Deverakonda for headlining the 2017 Telugu blockbuster, which was widely criticised for being misogynic.
Recently, when Ananya appeared on Koffee with Karan with her Liger co-star Vijay, she made her displeasure clear about the way the film presented a romantic relationship. “I would not advise any of my friends to be okay with it. But, that’s just how I am,” she had said.
In a group interview, the actor was asked if there was any inhibition when she met Vijay Deverakonda, who still stands the film, Ananya Panday said she had no such concern. “I don’t think I judged him for that. I didn’t know him. As actors, we are not what we portray on-screen.
“Our values and view points of the world don’t have to entirely match the characters we play on screen. Since I met him, he has been extremely kind and chivalrous towards me. I didn’t see that connection or had that thought at all,” she added.

 
When the two actors had appeared on the popular chat show hosted filmmaker Karan Johar, Vijay was asked his take on the uproar that Arjun Reddy had created when it released. The controversy around the film was subsequently brought to the forefront when its equally controversial Hindi adaptation, Kabir Singh, hit cinemas in 2019.
Ananya lauded Vijay for being “accepting” of her views on the film and said her opinion on Arjun Reddy never came in the way of their individual equation. “In terms of the opinion that I had on the film, he has been very accepting of that. He is just that kind of a person, who likes to have debate and conversation going. I never felt that conflict in anyway”.

Liger marks Ananya Panday’s first theatrical release since the pandemic, which saw two of her films Gehraiyaan and Khaali Peeli, directly stream on OTT. Ananya said during the nation-wide lockdown in 2020–a year after her debut– she was not thinking about her “personal journey” but did feel she was “getting lost” as an actor.
“The world was going through so much, so I honestly wasn’t thinking where my personal journey is going in terms of, ‘What’s going to happen next’. I wasn’t thinking about myself.  The lockdown period was a big point of reflection. I feel right before that, I was kind of getting lost, getting a bit overwhelmed.
“I kind of needed to slow down a little bit. I thought I was just speeding away not knowing which direction I’m going in. So it really did help me kind of just reflect a little bit, spend some time with myself and focus on how I want to define my process,” she added.

Liger is the actor’s fifth film of her career, after her 2019 debut with Student of the Year 2. Ananya said Liger is her attempt to keep doing varied roles and never hit any stagnation point.
“I want to do different roles, keep them as different from my real life as possible. I don’t want to bore myself or other people and I don’t want anyone to put me in a box. I am new, I have not figured out exactly what I want to do and how I want to do it. I want to fix my process and there are so many people with,” she added.
Directed Puri Jagannadh, Liger was shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu. Produced Dharma Productions and Puri Connects, the film also stars Ramya Krishna and Ronit Roy in pivotal roles, with a special appearance American boxer Mike Tyson. Liger will release on August 25.