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Actor Aneet Padda, who shot to prominence with the blockbuster romantic drama Saiyaara (2025), recently shared in a Grazia interview the foundational moment that led her to pursue acting: a simple piece of advice from her mother during a school poetry competition.
The 23-year-old, who played Vaani Batra (a songwriter dealing with early-onset Alzheimer’s) in the Mohit Suri-directed film, stated that her journey began long before the spotlight found her.
The Defining Moment: “Stop Overthinking”
Aneet Padda recalled her earliest performance was at a school poetry competition where her mother’s guidance instantly clicked:
“As a kid, I was this oblivious child, always daydreaming. I would memorise the poem and deliver it very blandly, and my mom kept saying, ‘You just have to understand what it means. Stop overthinking and say it the way you feel it…’”
That shift in perspective—to focus on genuine emotion over memorization—won her first prize and became the foundation of her acting process. She admitted, “I remember thinking, wow, that feels kind of nice. I wouldn’t mind another one.”
From Extracurricular to Career
Aneet continued to perform in school plays, often joking that she was cast as “the equivalent of a tree,” and did not initially view acting as a serious career path.
- Teacher’s Validation: It was her school principal who first encouraged her to take the craft seriously, noting, “You’re very good at this. I don’t think you know.” This was the first time she considered acting as a skill rather than just an extracurricular activity.
- Early Career: Before Saiyaara, Aneet made her debut with a small role in Salaam Venky (2022) and was also seen in the Amazon Prime series Big Girls Don’t Cry (2024).
On Fame and Fan Support
Following Saiyaara‘s massive success, which earned over ₹570 crore worldwide, Aneet has become one of the industry’s most talked-about new faces. She admits the intense support from her fan base is deeply emotional and sometimes overwhelming:
“I’m very sensitive. I feel things deeply. So, the responsibility of love, that weight of wanting to do right by the people who support you, that can feel pressurising. It’s beautiful, but sometimes, it is a lot.”
She added that she is moved to tears by her fans’ dedication, saying, “I cry once a week looking at the edits my fans make. The effort, the love, I just hope I can do justice to it.”
Upcoming Project
Aneet Padda confirmed that her next film is ‘Shakti Shalini’, which is slated for a December 2026 release and is part of Maddock Films’ expanding Horror-Comedy Universe.
Aneet Padda, Saiyaara, Bollywood Debut, Acting Journey, Mother’s Advice, Maddock Films, Shakti Shalini