Chunky defends Ananya amid trolling

Chunky Panday reacts to Ananya Panday being trolled over Bharatanatyam fusion in Chand Mera Dil

Actor Chunky Panday has reacted to the online trolling faced by his daughter Ananya Panday over the Bharatanatyam fusion sequence in her recently released film Chand Mera Dil, which hit theatres on May 22. The actress recently found herself at the centre of social media criticism after a dance clip from the film went viral, with several users questioning the fusion of classical Bharatanatyam with contemporary choreography and styling.

Defending her daughter, Chunky told ETimes, “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 that people assumed the performance was traditional Bharatanatyam and began judging it from that perspective, whereas pure Bharatanatyam requires years of rigorous training, discipline and precision, making it an extremely technical and highly structured dance form.

Furthermore, calling it a creative experiment, Chunky stated, “This is a fusion of futuristic, advanced dance forms with elements of traditional dance. It’s a creative blend, not a classical recital. I would request people to watch the film and understand the context before reacting.”