Chunky Panday Reacts To Ananya's Bharatanatyam Fusion Criticism: 'Watch The film Before Reacting'

 

Bollywood actor Chunky Panday has come out in support of his daughter Ananya Panday after she faced massive trolling online over a Bharatanatyam fusion dance sequence from her latest film Chand Mera Dil. The scene, which recently went viral on social media, sparked criticism from netizens as well as several classical dancers, with many questioning the execution of the performance.

The controversy began soon after the release of Chand Mera Dil when clips of Ananya's dance performance started circulating online. In the film, Ananya plays Chandni, the daughter of a Bharatanatyam dancer portrayed by actress Charu Shankar. During a college cultural event sequence, her character performs a fusion act that blends Bharatanatyam with hip-hop and locking.

 

However, the performance did not go down well with many viewers. Social media users criticised Ananya's expressions, body language and dance technique, while some Bharatanatyam dancers called the choreography "disrespectful" to the classical art form. Several harsh reactions quickly flooded the internet. One user wrote, "No confidence, no expressions, no grace." Another comment that went viral read, "This ain't Bharatanatyam bro."

Well-known dancer and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award recipient Anita Ratnam also reacted strongly to the sequence. Reviewing the viral clip, she wrote that Bharatanatyam is built on "technique, control, tradition, geometry, musicality and emotional depth." She further criticised the choreography by saying it looked like "a wedding sangeet filmed during a mild earthquake."

 

Now, Chunky Panday has responded to the backlash and defended his daughter's performance. In an interview with a newswire, the actor said people misunderstood the intention behind the dance sequence. "I think people completely misunderstood it. It was never meant to be pure Bharatanatyam," Chunky said. He explained that the sequence was designed as a fusion performance similar to the kind of experimental dances often performed by students during college cultural events.

He also pointed out that pure Bharatanatyam requires years of dedicated training and discipline. "It's extremely technical and structured. This was a creative blend of futuristic dance forms with elements of traditional dance.