Ananya Panday: Didn’t make a judgment on Vijay Deverakonda for his role in Arjun Reddy

While Ananya Panday found the gender issues of Arjun Reddy distasteful, she doesn't quite criticise Vijay Deverakonda for playing the main role in the 2017 Telugu hit, which received harsh criticism because of its sexist undertones.

When questioned in a group interview whether she felt some hesitations about meeting Vijay, who still supports the project, Ananya stated she had neither. She continued, "I don’t think I judged him for that. I didn’t know him. As actors, we are not what we portray on-screen. Our values and view points of the world don’t have to entirely match the characters we play on screen. Since I met him, he has been extremely kind and chivalrous towards me. I didn’t see that connection or have that thought at all."

Ananya praised Vijay for being open to hearing her opinions about the movie and claimed that her perspective on Arjun Reddy never stood in the way of their personal relationship. She added, "In terms of the opinion that I had on the film, he has been very accepting of that. He is just that kind of person who likes to have debates and conversation going. I never felt that conflict in anyway."

In the meantime, Vijay was asked about the controversy that Arjun Reddy had caused when it was released, while the two actors made an appearance on the well-known chat show Koffee with Karan, which is hosted by Karan Johar. Ananya previously expressed her displeasure with the way the film depicted a relationship, as she and her co-star Vijay appeared on Koffee with Karan.

Liger is Ananya's first theatrical release following the pandemic, which resulted in two of her movies, Gehraiyaan and Khaali Peeli, getting streamed straight on OTT. Liger, which was directed by Puri Jagannadh, was alternately filmed in Hindi and Telugu. The movie, which was made by Dharma Productions and Puri Connects, also has crucial performances by Ramya Krishna, Ronit Roy, and American boxer Mike Tyson. The film, Liger, will be released on August 25.