Ananya Panday and her besties, Suhana Khan and Shanaya Kapoor, would play acting  games as kids. It was then that her parents, Bhavana and Chunky Panday, learnt their daughter was obsessed with the world of cinema. “I guess, they thought it was a phase,” says the tall and pretty 20-year-old. But when they saw her performing in school plays, they realised that she was serious about following her obsession.

Now that the lovely lass has debuted with Student Of The Year 2, we had to ask if dad Chunky had any words of wisdom for her. Ananya reveals that, surprisingly, her actor father didn’t give her any advice. But there is a reason. The newbie mentions that her dad feels that times have changed since he was actively working in movies. “It was so different when he was an actor. Generations change every five years now. My younger sister, who is five years younger than me, is a completely different generation. I think he doesn’t want to give me any advice because he doesn’t feel it will be of much use,” she says.

But it doesn’t mean that Ananya hasn’t learnt anything from the actor who has worked in movies such as Tezaab (1988), Apna Sapna Money Money (2006) and the Housefull franchise. “I have learnt by observing him,” says the youngster, who will also be seen in the remake of Pati Patni Aur Woh. 

“Before I was born, he was a star and then he took a break from his career. He has seen all these phases, but he’s always stayed happy and dealt with everything positively. That’s something I have observed and learnt from my dad,” signs off the debutante.