Classical dancers criticise Ananya Panday's Bharatanatyam in Chand Mera Dil; Chunky Pandey, co-stars come out in support

Bollywood's one of the most favourite directors, Karan Johar, is back, and how! If you are an avid movie lover, you must have watched KJo's films, be it Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham or Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, or the more recent Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and Dhadak, the remake of Sairat. KJo has been busy hosting, judging, and slaying on the red carpet. However, the director is back with yet another love story.

Chand Mera Dil, starring Ananya Panday and Lakshya, is directed by Vivek Soni and backed by Dharma Productions. The film was released with little competition, barring Drishyam 3 starring Mohanlal. Needless to say, the competition between the two films has been fierce.

The chaotic storyline

Dharma Productions' Chand Mera Dil is a Gen Z-themed romance starring Ananya Panday and Lakshya, who play engineering college students who fall in love. Their romance blooms against all odds. Despite still being students, they cross boundaries when Ananya becomes pregnant before marriage and decides to keep the child, choosing to become a single mother and raise her baby.

The couple eventually gets married, she gives birth, and they begin raising the child independently, away from their families. This continues for a while until studies and career prospects re-enter the picture, leaving him increasingly miserable. The same gentle and loving guy suddenly snaps in a weak moment.

The film will remind many viewers of Kya Kehna, which starred Preity Zinta.

However, Lakshya's character becomes increasingly agitated and aggressive as time passes, unleashing a Kabir Singh mode. The film's theme is strong, but the execution is extremely poor. The leads do not convincingly look like 21-year-old college students. They appear too mature, and the innocence feels missing.

Why Ananya and Lakshya's chemistry isn't chemistring?

Ananya shines in parts, but Lakshya still reminds fans of his intense avatar from Kill and even Aryan Khan's The Ba***ds of Bollywood. Smoking, abusive behaviour, and emotionally exhausting moments weaken the narrative, though the music and songs help fans sail through the traumatic experience.

A user wrote, "Movie: Chand Mera Dil Rating: BITTERSWEET. #Lakshya & #AnanyaPanday deliver intense performances in this messy romantic saga. Not a perfect love story, but definitely one that sparks conversations."

Ananya Panday's Bharatanatyam sequence triggers memes

Apart from mixed reviews and a lack of chemistry between the pair, Ananya has also been brutally trolled for her Bharatanatyam performance in the film.

One user mentioned, "Ananya Panday is ruining classical dance. This is what bad nepotism has done to Bollywood."

The conversation escalated after another user shared a scene on the social media platform X and wrote, "Bharatanatyam developed in 200 BCE and ended with Ananya Panday in 2026." The post rapidly gained traction, drawing a barrage of reactions from viewers.

One viewer commented, "Bharatanatyam evolved."

Another wrote, "They try so hard to hide her inability to dance, it's so embarrassing at this point."

A separate user joked, "Can someone check that hero's pulse?"

One comment read, "No acting skills, no screen presence, no charisma, yet she keeps getting shoved into movies and irritates us, only because she's Chunky Panday's daughter."

Another user, claiming experience in the classical dance form, posted, "As someone who has learned Bharatanatyam for six years, what tomfoolery is this? Ew."

Another social media user questioned the outrage itself, writing, "That's a bold claim — so what exactly triggered the downfall of this ancient dance form, and how do you define 'ended' with Ananya Panday in 2026? Did her portrayal contribute to its revitalisation or decline?"

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 was released in the 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.

Chunky Panday comes in support of Ananya Panday's Dance Scene

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."

Despite decent buzz around the fresh pairing of Ananya Panday and Lakshya, the film has witnessed a slow start at the box office. As Chand Mera Dil entered Day 3 of its theatrical run, the film was playing across 2,838 shows nationwide and had already earned an estimated Rs 2.26 crore net in India through live updates. With this, the movie's India gross collection climbed to Rs 10.68 crore, while its India net total currently stands at Rs 9.01 crore. Final figures for the day are still awaited.

Among those reacting was acclaimed dancer Anita R Ratnam, who did not mince her words. Reviewing the clip on X, she wrote, "Watching this clip felt like Bharatanatyam being held hostage by a catastrophic misunderstanding of the form. Somewhere between the flailing arms and random camera moves, the dance quietly packed its bags and exited the building."

She further added, "Bharatanatyam is built on technique, control, tradition, geometry, musicality and emotional depth. This clip treats it like a wedding sangeet filmed during a mild earthquake. The tragedy is not that it is BAD. Bad can sometimes be charming. The tragedy is the complete confidence with which it bulldozes through centuries of sophistication, training, dedication and devotion while appearing utterly unaware that ADAVUS are not optional suggestions. This is choreography by algorithmic panic - and Lord Nataraja is suffering this abomination."

Ananya's co-star comes out in support

In a recent interview, Charu, who played the role of Ananya's mother Nivedita, in the film, revealed that Ananya was deeply committed during the practice sessions. She also slammed social media trolls, stating mockery is 'not okay.'

During a chat with Hindustan Times, Charu Shankar addressed the criticism and said, "I think everyone is entitled to their opinion, but trolling is never in good taste. Conversations around art are valid. Mockery is not."

She continued, "The sequence being discussed was always conceived as a contemporary, edgy breakout introduction for Chandni's character. In the film's visual storytelling, this moment announces the arrival of a young woman who is not afraid to break the rules."

The actor recalled how she bonded with Ananya Panday through the practicing sessions. "Both Ananya and I were deeply committed to this process, and we really bonded through it. The fact that both of our characters are dancers became psychologically very important to me. I felt that her daughter inherits not just an art form from Nivedita, but also resilience, dignity, and courage," Charu shared.

She further added that it's how their characters Nivedita and Chandni are able to move forward amid unfair domestic realities. "They speak up. They take a stance. They walk away when they need to. There's tremendous strength there. Their artistry becomes part of how they survive, how they process pain, and eventually, how they reclaim themselves. I loved this aspect of the script."

Talking about her own character in Chand Mera Dil, Charu Shankar shared, "She used dance to recreate a life for herself and her daughter with dignity, discipline and grace. That resilience sits at the core of who she is. Outwardly, she is always elegant and composed- the sarees, the stylised hand gestures, the calm way in which she speaks. But when it comes down to it, she is deeply formidable."

The actor added, "I trained for months with Bharatanatyam teacher, Suhail Bhan, learning mudras, abhinaya, nattuvangam, jatis in Adi Taalam, even how to teach a Bharatanatyam class, because I wanted dance to exist in Nivedita unconsciously. I wanted her spine, her gaze, her hands, even the way she wore silence, to feel like someone who had lived with classical dance for decades. I chose to discover my character through Bharatanatyam."