Navya Naveli Nanda, granddaughter of Bollywood legends Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, daughter of Shweta Bachchan Nanda, has often been in the spotlight for her non-profit and MBA ambitions. But now, in a candid chat with journalist Barkha Dutt on Mojo Story, Navya opened up about why she chose to stay away from Bollywood, instead building her own path in the world of business and social work.
During the interview, Barkha asked her, “Did you ever think of joining the movies?” Navya responded with complete honesty, saying, “No, never. I always get asked this… and I don’t know why. I feel like I was always raised in a way that my parents told me that don’t do something if you’re not 100% passionate or confident or it’s something that you really want to do. It was never something that I wanted to do. I always was fascinated by tractors, my dad and what he was doing. And when he’d come back from work I’d talk to him about it. That to me was far more exciting.”
Navya Naveli Nanda, granddaughter of Bollywood legends Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, daughter of Shweta Bachchan Nanda, has often been in the spotlight for her non-profit and MBA ambitions. But now, in a candid chat with journalist Barkha Dutt on Mojo Story, Navya opened up about why she chose to stay away from Bollywood, instead building her own path in the world of business and social work.
During the interview, Barkha asked her, “Did you ever think of joining the movies?” Navya responded with complete honesty, saying, “No, never. I always get asked this… and I don’t know why. I feel like I was always raised in a way that my parents told me that don’t do something if you’re not 100% passionate or confident or it’s something that you really want to do. It was never something that I wanted to do. I always was fascinated by tractors, my dad and what he was doing. And when he’d come back from work I’d talk to him about it. That to me was far more exciting.”
Though she belongs to one of Bollywood’s most iconic families, Navya revealed that her interests always leaned in a different direction — one rooted in business and social impact. Still, she admits to having a deep appreciation for the creative world. “I do enjoy watching movies. I love listening to music, as part of the work my family does — I’m constantly watching what they’re doing and I’m constantly watching what other people are doing. I love consuming it…the content, the songs, the movies. One of my secret talent is that I know the hook steps for any song possible. I love it for what it is, the medium that it is because I think it holds a lot of power.”
However, admiration doesn’t necessarily translate into aspiration. As Navya explained, her ambitions lie elsewhere. “I respect it and love it for what it is but I never wanted to be a part of it. My interests and my excitement and passion lies somewhere else.”
Navya has since carved a space for herself as an entrepreneur and social advocate. She runs Project Naveli, a non-profit organisation working towards gender equality, and is also involved in her family’s business ventures.
Interestingly, while Navya has chosen to stay away from acting, her younger brother Agastya Nanda has taken the plunge into cinema. He made his debut in Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies, sharing screen space with Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Vedang Raina, and Mihir Ahuja. He will next be seen in the biographical war film Ikkis.
