EXCLUSIVE: Ananya Pandey on Dream Girl 2 & working with Ayushmann Khurrana

Ananya Panday gears up for the release of her upcoming film Dream Girl 2. The film also stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Vijay Raaz, Abhishek Banerjee, Paresh Rawal, Asrani, Manoj Joshi, and Seema Pahwa. She’s the youngest of the lot and steps into the world of vibrant and massy humour for the first time. She spoke exclusively to Firstpost about her box-office expectations from the sequel, working with such seasoned actors, and the one actor apart from Ayushmann Khurrana that looks good in a drag. How was your prep for the character you play in the film? It was very important for me to get the language right and the look right because I wanted to make sure that even though it’s a glamorous role, I wanted to make it as authentic as possible. You debuted with Student of the Year 2 and followed it up with films like Khaali Peeli, Gehraiyaan, and now Dream Girl 2. What are the challenges you face when you have such diverse worlds and characters? There are so many challenges you face, I’m very new so I’m still discovering the process of acting, my love for acting and the way I do it and what works for me. I don’t know how to pen down but every film has a different sort of challenge. What are your expectations from the film in terms of box-office, especially after the industry’s back-to-back hits? I try to manage my expectations, the one thing I’ve learned is not to keep any expectations. I’m very new so I don’t want to take too much pressure. I know box-office is the ultimate form of validation as it shows how many homes and people you’ve touched, and obviously you’ve put in so much effort so you want your film to do well. But I’m confident and getting a good feeling about it. Ayushmann said that Dream Girl was his first film that did very well when in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, the small centers and not just metros. What’s the importance of that audience for you? It’s very important because so far, I’ve catered to an urban audience, I won’t say niche, but I hope this opens up a new audience market for me and I can reach their hearts too. The film has a great ensemble of Vijay Raaz, Abhishek Banerjee, Paresh Rawal, Asrani, Manoj Joshi, and Seema Pahwa. How was your experience of working with such veterans? It was a complete laugh-a-riot, and there is so much to learn from these legends. They are still so fresh and contemporary with their comedy, everything they do, every scene they perform is so different. The hardest part for me as an actor was to control my laughter. Apart from Ayushmann, which actor looks great in the guise of a woman? Riteish Deshmukh was amazing in Apna Sapna Money Money. What has been the one takeaway for you from Dream Girl 2? My dad always says work with good people and good things will happen, that’s the feeling I’m getting after working in this film.