Congress leader Dr Shama Mohamed has reacted to a dance sequence featuring Ananya Panday in her latest film, Chand Mera Dil. In the now-viral scene, Ananya’s character Chandni - an engineering student trained in Bharatanatyam - is seen performing a dance sequence. The Congress leader has reacted to the viral dance video, adding that the actor “killed” her favourite dance form.
‘Ananya Panday Killed Bharatanatyam’
A trained classical dancer herself, Dr Shama Mohamed said Bharatanatyam is an art form that requires years of dedication and cannot simply be created for the screen. “Ananya Pandey has killed my favourite dance form - Bharatanatyam! I learnt it from the age of 7 to 13, did my arangetram too in Kuwait and never looked back,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
She further added, “Classical dance needs to be studied over a period of time and can’t be manufactured for Ms Pandey. Please don’t ever insult such a beautiful art form as Bharatanatyam.”
Joining the criticism, noted Bharatanatyam dancer Anita R Ratnam also reacted to the viral dance video on X. “Watching this clip felt like Bharatanatyam being held hostage by a catastrophic misunderstanding of the form. Somewhere between the flailing arms and random camera moves, the dance quietly packed its bags and exited the building,” she wrote.
Another dancer, Krithika Sivaswamy, echoed similar sentiments. Krithika wrote, “Ananya Panday’s ‘Bharatnatyam’ shows how the industry is insensitive to classical arts, how they mock it and the audacity to put it up publicly on a screen. Unfortunately, in India, there is no mechanism to sue those who mock classical arts. It’s very fluid, which makes anyone do any crap with it.”
How Social Media Reacted
The dance video received mixed reactions online, with many users criticising the performance. “Bharatanatyam evolved in 200 BCE and ended with Ananya Panday in 2026,” one user wrote. Another commented, “They try so hard to hide her inability to dance. It’s so embarrassing at this point.” A third wrote, “No acting skills, no screen presence, no charisma, yet she keeps getting cast in films only because she’s Chunky Panday’s daughter.” A user claiming to be a trained dancer posted, “As someone who has learnt Bharatanatyam for six years, what tomfoolery is this?”
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However, not everyone agreed with the criticism. Some defended the scene, calling it a fusion performance rather than traditional Bharatanatyam. “It’s a fusion dance… sharing only a small clip from a pirated print to degrade Bollywood is unfair,” one person wrote. Another questioned the outrage, saying, “That’s a bold claim. What exactly triggered the downfall of this ancient dance form, and how do you define it ending with Ananya Panday in 2026?”
About Chand Mera Dil
Chand Mera Dil is a romantic comedy directed by Vivek Soni and co-written by Soni and Tushar Paranjape.
Backed by Dharma Productions, the film stars Ananya Panday and Lakshya in the lead roles and released in theatres on May 22.