Ananya Pandey is all set for her OTT debut with the comedy-drama ‘Call Me Bae’. The series, created by Ishita Moitra and backed by Karan Johar, premieres on Amazon Prime Video on September 6. Ahead of the release, Ananya Pandey discusses breaking perceptions and typecasting. The ‘Gehraiyaan’ actress also talks about her role in the upcoming series.
In an interview with PTI, the ‘Dream Girl 2’ actress revealed that challenging audiences’ perceptions is still something she grapples with. “I’m fighting the perception of what the audience thinks of me and the kind of work you get within the industry. When something of yours does well, you get the same offers, and it is up to us as actors to decide if we have the position to say no.”
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Emphasizing the need to avoid being stereotyped based on perception, she stated that sometimes saying no is more important than saying yes. She believes this helps define both an actor and a person. Ananya acknowledged that there might be reservations about rejecting a big project, but it should be considered in retrospect. “In the long term, it’s beneficial because you are not feeding into a stereotype. You are reinventing, challenging yourself, and doing something different. While this might mean missing out on something that seems significant, you are choosing growth over repetition.”
Talking about ‘Call Me Bae’, Ananya revealed that she received the script for all eight episodes at once. “When I read it, I felt, ‘I could die to be part of this.’ As a character, there’s so much to do, so much to explore. There are many layers to the character.” She also mentioned that viewers will not only follow the trajectory of the show but also her character’s journey. She also hinted a significant message by the end of the series.
Ananya began working on ‘Call Me Bae’ after completing Vikramaditya Motwane’s cyber-thriller ‘CTRL’ and the coming-of-age drama ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’. Following these two projects, the ‘Call Me Bae’ set felt like a breath of fresh air for Pandey. Reflecting on her lively and cheerful character, she shared, “On the first day, I was being very subtle, doing internal acting and Colin was like, ‘This will not work here. You need to raise the energy’. It took us a few days to find our rhythm, but then we all found the tone together.”
Apart from Ananya Pandey, ‘Call Me Bae’ also features Vir Das, Gurfateh Pirzada, Varun Sood, Vihaan Samat. Additionally, it features Muskkaan Jaferi, Niharika Lyra Dutt, Lisa Mishra, and Mini Mathur in key roles.