Ananya Panday trolled for Bharatanatyam act reopening debate on Bollywood's South India representation

Bollywood actress Ananya Panday drew flak for her Bharatnatyam act in her recently release movie Chand Mera Dil, with many calling it the latest example of Bollywood’s clumsy handling of South Indian culture.

Classical dance enthusiasts labelled the performance disrespectful to the art form and accused the film of reducing a 2,000-year-old dance form to a stylised Bollywood number while some viewers praised the fusion choreography.

Congress spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed criticised the act on X. Shama noted that she trained in Bharatanatyam from ages seven to thirteen and had her arangetram in Kuwait.

“Ananya Panday has killed my favorite dance form - Bharatnatyam… Classical dance needs to be studied over a period of time & can't be manufactured for Ms Panday! Please don't ever insult such a beautiful art as Bharatanatyam.”

When Ananya’s Bharatanatyam clip went viral, people immediately brought up Param Sundari to show this is not new — it’s part of a pattern with Bollywood. A post on X stated:

However, Ananya was defended by her choreographer Ananya Kurup who dropped an Instagram post backing her performance.

Ananya Kurup backs Ananya Panday's performance

Chunky Panday, Ananya's father also backed her to the hilt.

"I would request people to watch the film and understand the context before reacting," Chunky Panday told the Times of India.

"I think people completely misunderstood it. It was never meant to be pure Bharatanatyam. It was a fusion performance, the kind of experimental dance you often see college students perform at social or cultural events," he added.

Despite takedowns of critical clips and the “catastrophic” labels, the film, where Ananya stars with Lakshya is still performing well commercially.