Ananya Panday On Body-shaming And Social Media Trolls: 'I've Started Muting And Unfollowing...'

Ananya Panday recently revealed that she has begun the practice of unfollowing and muting hateful and negative social media pages.

Ananya Panday has discussed how she handles online trolls. ( Image Source :Instagram/@ananyapanday )

New Delhi: Ananya Panday debuted in Bollywood with the 2019 film ‘Student of the Year 2’, and she's been in the limelight ever since. The actress says she is still impacted by criticism of her appearance on social media. She recently discussed her new social media approach in a new interview, which she says is a direct result of having to cope with the constant barrage of criticism she receives.

Ananya Panday, renowned for her lean frame, has talked about her body image concerns in the past and stated that growing up. Ananya revealed that she used to be sensitive about how she appeared. The ‘Dream Girl 2’ actress recently said this sentiment has not subsided in an interview with Elle India.

Ananya Panday told Elle India that people are never sure how much of the content they see online will have an effect on them. She went on to say that she still held the view that she had it easier since she grew up in a pre-cellphone era. She said, "I still believe I’ve had it easier because I had a childhood without phones. Things are tougher for teenagers these days as it can be easy to seek validation from social media."

Ananya also spoke about the rise of online trolling directed at celebrities, including herself, in the entertainment industry. She claims she is now more ruthless in her approach to dealing with such hatred. “I’ve started muting and unfollowing pages that make me feel anxious, sad, or unhappy in any way—I have grown quite ruthless," Ananya said.

She added, "Spending time alone helps me because I'm constantly surrounded by people, advice and opinions. There's a lot of background noise, so spending time by myself and listening to my own voice is what calms me down.”

On the work front, Ananya played the female lead opposite Ayushmann Khurrana in the film ‘Dream Girl 2’. The actress received high marks for branching out from her typical urban Gen Z roles to play a rural girl. Additionally,  Ananya's first online series, ‘Call Me Bae’, will premiere on Prime Video in 2024.