Rising Bollywood star Ahaan Panday has firmly rejected the ‘star kid’ label despite his blockbuster debut in Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, which has stormed past ₹580 crore to become the highest-grossing romantic film in Indian cinema history in 2025. In a candid interview with GQ magazine published on Friday, the 27-year-old actor acknowledged the privileges of his upbringing while insisting he does not belong to the traditional nepotism narrative that dominates discussions around many industry newcomers.

Ahaan, son of prominent businessman Aloke ‘Chikki’ Panday and fitness expert Deanne Panday, pointed out that neither of his parents is an actor. “I can’t speak from experience because Chikki Panday is not a star,” he said when asked about the pressures faced by star kids. While his uncle Chunky Panday is a veteran Bollywood comedian and his father shares a decades-long friendship with Shah Rukh Khan, Ahaan stressed that his family remained on the periphery of the film world. “I’ve always felt like the place I come from is behind a fence. I could reach out through it, but I couldn’t quite touch what’s on the other side,” he explained, describing his childhood surrounded by industry giants yet never formally part of the ecosystem.

The actor framed his privilege not as automatic entry but as invaluable proximity to excellence. “Being around people who were excelling in the industry taught me a lot from the other side of that fence,” he noted, crediting the exposure for shaping his work ethic and understanding of the craft. Saiyaara’s phenomenal success—driven by strong word-of-mouth, chart-topping music, and Ahaan’s widely praised performance opposite Ananya Panday—has silenced many early doubters and established him as a bankable leading man in his own right.

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With the industry now buzzing about his next moves, Ahaan has already signed a high-profile project under the Yash Raj Films banner. He will headline an action-romance directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, starring opposite Sharvari and featuring newcomer Aaishvary Thackeray as the antagonist. As he transitions from romantic heartthrob to action hero, Ahaan appears determined to let his work dismantle any lingering perceptions of inherited advantage, proving that while he may have watched the game from close quarters, he is now very much playing—and winning—on the field.

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