Updated on: Aug 31, 2025 06:16 am IST
Ahaan Panday, who made his debut with Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, has talked about entering the world of cinema with Yash Raj Films.
While it is obvious that his father, Chikki Panday, and uncle, Chunky Panday, go by their nicknames, one would assume that Ahaan Panday is the actor’s real name. However, in a recent interview, the Saiyaara star revealed a shocker. Both he and his sister, Alanna Panday, have other ‘Hindu names’, which have strong connections with Yash Raj Films, the studio that eventually launched him.
Ahaan Panday on his ‘real’ name
Ahaan is the son of Aloke ‘Chikki’ Panday, a businessman, and Deanne Panday, a fitness expert and author. Since Ahaan’s father is a Hindu and his mother a Christian, the siblings have two names. Talking with The Hollywood Reporter India about why he chose to make his Bollywood debut with Yash Raj Films’ Saiyaara, even as he had other offers, Ahaan said, “I think it goes back to my grandmother; that was the person close to me whom I lost. Yash Raj Films was a dream for me, it was the cinema I grew up with, the cinema my grandmother dreamed I would be a part of. She used to call me ‘Raj’ all the time. My sister’s Hindu name is Chandni, based on the film Chandni, and my Hindu name is Yash; we’re big filmy Yash Raj [Films] lovers.”
Ahaan, the nephew of Chunky Panday and cousin of Ananya Panday, was pegged as a Bollywood hero even before he had reached 20. But even as he had offers from other places, he decided to wait once Aditya Chopra from YRF promised to launch him. “When Adi sir asked me, it was instinctive because I believed it was my destiny. It was just this childhood dream of mine; I’ve seen these heroes my whole life, emulated them, looked up to them and that was [what I wanted to be] the first chapter of my professional life. I’ll look back on this and be very happy, and I know my grandmother would be very happy. It was her dream for me to be an actor; I wanted to be a writer. Somewhere, I did this for her,” the actor added.
About Ahaan’s debut with Saiyaara
Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri, is a love story between a rebellious musician (Ahaan) and a songwriter with Alzheimer’s (Aneet Padda). The film received glowing reviews and was lapped up by the audience. With a global gross of ₹563 crore, it is the highest-grossing love story in Indian cinema history.
