Ahaan Panday entered the Bollywood industry with the blockbuster film, Saiyaara and has been generating a lot of buzz since his debut. After the grand debut, his recent appearance with Aneet Padda for The Hollywood Reporter India made headlines. Amid all the love, Ahaan opened up about his Hindu name, which has a Bollywood connection to it.
Ahaan Panday’s Hindu name is related to his grandmother
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Saiyaara actor mentioned that his parents gave him two names because of their interfaith background. Talking about the Hindu names of him and his sister, he explained that it all goes back to his late grandmother. Ahaan Panday mentioned that while growing back, he was a big Yash Raj Films fan and because of that his grandmother used to call him ‘Raj’. He shared:
“I think it goes back to my grandmother; that was the person close to me whom I lost. Yash Raj Films was a dream for me, it was the cinema I grew up with, the cinema my grandmother dreamed I would be a part of. She used to call me ‘Raj’ all the time. My sister’s Hindu name is Chandni, based on the film Chandni, and my Hindu name is Yash; we’re big filmy Yash Raj [Films] lovers.”
Ahaan Panday wanted his debut only with Yash Raj Films
In the same interview, Ahaan mentioned that it was dream to make his acting debut with YRF. He shared that before Saiyaara, he got several offers but he refused them only because they weren’t with Yash Raj Films. He said that he had grown up watching YRF heroes and he wanted to be one of them. He explained that now his grandmother might be happy seeing him as a YRF hero. In his words:
“When Adi sir asked me, it was instinctive because I believed it was my destiny. It was just this childhood dream of mine; I’ve seen these heroes my whole life, emulated them, looked up to them and that was [what I wanted to be] the first chapter of my professional life. I’ll look back on this and be very happy, and I know my grandmother would be very happy. It was her dream for me to be an actor; I wanted to be a writer. Somewhere, I did this for her.”
More about Ahaan Panday
Ahaan Panday was born on December 23, 1997, in Mumbai. He studied at Oberoi International School, and he comes from a well-known family. He is the son of businessman, Chikki Panday and wellness author, Deanne Panday. His older sister, Alanna Panday, is a popular YouTuber. Ahaan’s uncle is popular actor, Chunky Panday, which makes Ananya Panday his cousin sister.
In July 2025, Ahaan broke all records with his debut film, Saiyaara. The film is directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Yash Raj Films. The film casts Ahaan as a rebellious singer, ‘Krish Kapoor’, who falls in love with a journalist, ‘Vaani’, played by Aneet Padda. According to a report by Sacnilk, the film has earned around Rs. 565 crores worldwide.
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