Ananya Panday, currently basking in the praise for her role in Vikramaditya Motwane’s CTRL, recently shared how she didn’t have to look far for inspiration for her role as a social media influencer. Ananya revealed in a recent chat that she drew inspiration from her cousin Alanna Panday and her husband Ivor, who vlog about their lives and are social media influencers.

In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Ananya talked about the extensive details that went into crafting her character, mentioning how she and Motwane discussed every aspect of it. Reflecting on the influences behind her role, she said, “Sumukhi Suresh was part of the writing team, and she knows a lot about influencers.”

Ananya went on to elaborate, “I see a lot of influencers, but my cousin Alanna and her husband are couple bloggers. They make vlogs about everything – from when they met, to their wedding, to her pregnancy, and even her journey with their baby. They’ve covered it all on their YouTube channel. Watching them was a close-to-home reference, helping me understand the sacrifices required to be a public figure, especially when your life is exposed even more than an actor’s.”

In CTRL, Ananya plays Nella, one-half of the ideal influencer couple alongside her boyfriend Joe. But when he cheats on her, she uses an AI app to erase him from her life, only for it to take control in unexpected ways.

Ananya’s cousin Alanna Panday is currently starring in The Tribe, a show about a group of Indian influencers aiming for global fame in Los Angeles. Produced by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment, The Tribe also features Alaviaa Jaaferi, Srushti Porey, Aryaana Gandhi, Alfia Jafry, and Hardik Zaveri.

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