Whether romance or thriller, social media is going to be a prevalent character in movies going forward, says actor Ananya Panday who has emerged as the go-to actor to tell stories rooted in modern technology with “CTRL”, “Call Me Bae” and “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan”.

In the Vikramaditya Motwane-directed “CTRL”, where a story unfolds entirely through various screens, Panday plays Nella, a social media influencer whose life comes crashing down when she enlists the help of an AI to erase her cheating ex (Vihaan Samat) from her digital life.

The actor said the timing of the release of her three projects, where her characters’ digital life play a key role in the narrative, makes it seem like they have a connection but she didn’t think about it while signing them.

“I feel like it is the time that we're living in. It is the generation that we're living in where technology is such a big part of all of our lives. Being a part of Gen Z, these stories are relatable for me. It's something that is just starting to happen.

“In the romantic genre or in the thriller genre, it (technology) will be a prevalent character. I feel like it is something that exists. It'll be hard to tell a story where there isn't some effect or some social media. It will be in many more stories going forward,” she told PTI in an interview.

Asked whether working on “CTRL” made her cautious about the perils of hyper-connectivity, Panday said some habits are hard to break.

The film, however, has made her more aware about her online activity.

“Even in the smallest of things, like just agreeing to terms and conditions, allowing your iPad and your laptops access to your camera and microphone, accepting cookies every time you go onto a new website… We're not aware of the repercussions. The film made me aware of those small things, but it's still back to that toxic behavior. I know it, but I'm still doing it,” she admitted.

Panday, who is the daughter of actor Chunky Panday and entrepreneur Bhavana Pandey, said her first social media account was on Facebook which she made secretly.

“My mom found out and really got angry at me. She deactivated my Facebook account for a few years. I could get it only when I was the legal age,” she recalled.

“CTRL” started streaming on Netflix from October 4 and Panday has used her Instagram account, where she has over 25 million followers, to promote the film. Before that came her web series debut “Call Me Bae” on Prime Video.

The key to being on social media is to not take it “too seriously”, she said.

“I had my Instagram account before I became an actor and that time it was more private. I've always had a lot of fun with it. I kind of have maintained the same thing. I keep it as real as possible. I post whatever I want. I don't take it too seriously. That's the key but my relationship with social media also keeps changing.

“Like now I've been promoting, so I've been posting a lot because obviously I want people to watch the movie but I think I'm going to be taking that much needed digital detox because it does affect your mental health.” The 25-year-old said she could partly connect with her “CTRL” character when it came to “just her life being so public and people having opinions and stuff on her life”.

“But the part that I kind of had to dive a little deeper into was her family life because she's someone who comes from Delhi and her parents run a bakery and they always wanted her to work there, but she always saw more for herself… Also, figuring out all the influencer stuff… Being an actor, I find all the reel making and stuff very tough. It’s a proper job.” Panday, who made her movie debut in 2019 with “Student of the Year 2”, has faced her fair share of social media trolling and while she wouldn’t “specifically” like to talk about it, she credits it as part of her growth.

“... Even like films that have not done as well as we would have hoped that they did, everything has made me the person and the actor that I am today. So I'm grateful for everything. I wouldn't want to change my journey for anything,” she added.

Panday called Shakun Batra’s “Gehraiyaan” a turning point in her career. She was praised for her acting in the 2022 movie, also starring Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, and Dhairya Karwa.

“Now, I am constantly feeling like, 'Oh, I'm different than I was before’. And the growing up is very fast in our industry,” she said, crediting the film for bringing “CTRL” to her as Motwane offered the project after he saw her in “Gehraiyaan”.

“For me, these are dream directors and I would have loved to work with them. Probably the shift has happened in their minds... I've always been open and willing to work with these directors. The opportunities I'm getting now are a lot more fruitful and satisfying as an actor.” Panday has a long list of directors she wants to work with. The genres that she would like to try next include a romantic movie, a horror film and a biopic.

“I got a chance to work with Zoya (Akhtar) even though she didn't direct 'Kho Gaye Hum Kahan', she wrote and produced the (Netflix) film. I would love to be in something that she directs.

“I got to do a song for Karan (Johar) in ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’, but I would love to be a heroine of his in a proper film. I would love to work with Sanjay (Leela Bhansali). He's like an all-time favourite. There's a long, long list. I'm just naming a few.”

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