Ananya Panday interview: On ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’ and how it represents her generation

Ananya Panday discusses her role in the film "Kho Gaye Hum Kahaan" and the impact of social media on her generation.

Early on in Kho Gaye Hum Kahaan, Ahana (Ananya Panday) steals glances at her phone, conspicuously placed away from her as she tries to get some work done. The music is ominous, and as it reaches a crescendo, Ahana gives in. She picks up her phone and scrolls through the profile of her ex-boyfriend’s probable new flame.

When I bring up this scene with Ananya, the actor is more than happy to delve into how these smaller moments in the script were the biggest draw for her. Kho Gaye… released late in December last year, and Ananya has been basking in all the praise she’s received for a performance that many have dubbed her best yet.

“The scene that you mentioned — every small detail was written down by Arjun (Varain Singh). When I prepped for this scene, I was sent some reference tracks that sounded almost hypnotic, one of which even plays in the background. I had people tell me this scene felt like a horror scene for my generation,” she says laughing, on a video call from Mumbai.

“You’re looking at your phone, and almost getting hypnotised by it. It is the sad reality we live in, and the script managed to include a lot of these nuances and smaller details that I felt represented my generation,” she adds.

Billed as the buddy movie for this generation, taking off from the makers’ past works like Dil Chahta Hai and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Kho Gaye… follows the lives of three 20-somethings in Mumbai as they navigate careers, ambition, friendships and relationships, all against the backdrop of social media and the clutch it has on the lives of the upper class urban Indian youth.

Ananya’s Ahana, for instance, has an MBA degree and is keen on quitting her dead-end job and pursuing the start-up dream, all while going through the post-break-up purge. The break-up has left her battling self-doubt and she proceeds to put herself through the wringer. There’s obsessive Instagram stalking, a newfound passion for fitness, dating apps, and even a revenge outfit (a bright red saree).

“Playing a character like Ahana might look simple and seem like playing a version of yourself, but a lot of preparation goes into this. I could say, in many ways, Ahana is similar to me, but she is as similar to me as she is to many other women in their 20s in this generation. I especially realised this a lot more after watching the film, and Ahana seems to have resonated with a lot of girls,” she says.