Ananya Panday’s latest on-screen performance has turned her into the undisputed main character of social media, but perhaps not for the reasons the filmmakers intended. A specific dance clip from her upcoming romantic drama Chand Mera Dil has gone completely viral across digital platforms.
The scene depicts Panday’s character executing a bold, modern experimental routine that attempts to fuse the rigid, traditional geometry of Bharatanatyam with the street rhythms of hip-hop and locking. While her co-star Lakshya watches the sequence in narrative admiration, the real-world internet has reacted with a mix of brutal memes, sharp comedy, and highly technical cultural critiques.
Classical Dancers Slam the Fusion Attempt
The experimental choreography did not sit well with the classical dance community. Seasoned artists and traditionalists immediately took to social media to criticize the performance, arguing that it disrespects a centuries-old art form.
Among the most prominent voices was acclaimed dancer Anita R. Ratnam, who posted an exceptionally scathing review of the viral movie clip on X.
“Watching this clip felt like Bharatanatyam being held hostage by a catastrophic misunderstanding of the form. Somewhere between the flailing arms and random camera moves, the dance quietly packed its bags and exited the building… The tragedy is the complete confidence with which it bulldozes through centuries of sophistication, training, dedication and devotion while appearing utterly unaware that ADAVUS [basic dance steps] are not optional suggestions. This is choreography by algorithmic panic – and Lord Nataraja is suffering this abomination.” — Anita R. Ratnam
Echoing that sentiment, classical dancer Krithika Sivaswamy expressed deeper frustration regarding how mainstream cinema treats classical arts. She noted that the sequence demonstrates how insensitive the film industry can be toward classical heritage. Furthermore, Sivaswamy lamented that India currently lacks any formal legal or regulatory mechanism to protect traditional art forms from being openly mocked or poorly executed on the big screen.
The Production Team Defends the Routine
In stark contrast to the wave of online criticism, those who worked directly behind the scenes paint a completely different picture of the project. Assistant choreographer Ananya R. Kurup quickly jumped to the actor’s defense by sharing behind-the-scenes training footage on Instagram.
Kurup shared photos alongside Panday and uploaded a video showcasing her official choreography credit for the movie. In her social media caption, she highly praised Panday’s work ethic, calling her one of the sweetest people she knows. She added that it was a lovely experience teaching her the classical movements and insisted that the actor absolutely nailed her performance for the camera.
Behind the Production of Chand Mera Dil
The controversial film marks the very first on-screen pairing between Ananya Panday and rising actor Lakshya. The creative ecosystem behind the movie includes several notable industry figures:
| Production Department | Creative Talent Credited |
| Direction & Story | Vivek Soni |
| Screenplay Writers | Vivek Soni and Tushar Paranjape |
| Music Composers | Sachin-Jigar |
| Director of Photography | Debojeet Ray |
| Film Editor | Prashanth Ramachandran |
Prior to this project, Ananya Panday starred in Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri alongside Kartik Aaryan. Meanwhile, Lakshya recently gained attention for his role in the streaming series The Ba*ds of Bollywood, which was created by Aryan Khan.