Ananya Panday faces backlash for 'insulting' Bharatanatyam dance in 'Chand Mera Dil'

Ananya Panday has found herself at the centre of an online criticism after a dance sequel, which appears to be a rendition of the Bharatanatyam art form, from her latest movie 'Chand Mera Dil' has gone viral. The actress faced brutal trolling due to her dance performance with the latest comment coming from Congress spokesperson Dr. Shama Mohamed who urged Panday not to "ever insult such beautiful art as Bharatnatyam".

Dr Mohamed, who learnt the dance form at a young age of seven in Kuwait, in a strong-worded tweet, said "Ananya Pandey has killed my favorite dance form - Bharatnatyam", explaining that classical dance needs to be studied over a period of time and cant be manufactured for Ms Pandey.

The video which features Panday performing a fusion of contemporary with Bharatnatyam dance form in traditional attire, has triggered massive backlash online. While some netizens criticised the actress' expressions and execution of the dance form, others called out the choreography.

One netizen commented on Dr Shama's post, "Never thought we'd agree with anything Shaama said..🤣🤣

But well said ma'am..!!" (sic)

Several comments mocking the sequence quickly went viral across platforms. “No confidence, no expressions, no grace… No vibes,” one user wrote, while another commented, “This ain’t Bharatanatyam bro, she moving like the exorcism worked halfway and the demon stayed for the choreography.”

“Someone needs to stop Ananya Pandey ji before she further destroys Bharatanatyam. That audacity to have Nataraja idol in the background and perform like this...” another post read.

"So tragic Bharatanatyam, founded 200 BCE, finally met its end in 2026 thanks to Ananya Pandey.

Who knew a Nataraja idol could look so betrayed? She didn't just disrespect the art form, she single-handedly canceled a 2,200-year-old cultural legacy, "another comment read.

“What the hell is this! Making fun of Bharatnatyam... Look at the steps it looks like robot doing Bharatnatyam. Ananya kindly stop doing this things. Kindly don't make fun of Our oldest dance forms and Culture,” another comment stated.

Another user questioned if the dance was meant to be a 'robotic' interpretation, saying, “Is it like robotic Bharatnatyam??? Ananya why do you do yourself so dirty???? Can't even defend her." Still another user also wrote, “that choreography was fighting for its life.”

Amid the backlash, several users alleged that clips of the performance sequence were being taken down online over copyright complaints. “They copyrighted this video of Ananya Panday doing what appears to be Bharatanatyam,” one social media user claimed.

Chand Mera Dil is directed by Vivek Soni, who previously directed Meenakshi Sundareshwar. The film revolves around Aarav and Chandni (played by Lakshya and Ananya Panday respectively) and their intense love story. It is produced by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, Somen Mishra, and Marijke Desouza under Dharma Productions. Chaand Mera Dil released in theatres on May 22, 2026.

While the film had a slow start at the box office, it saw a modest rise in collections on its second day after opening to mixed audience response and lukewarm critical reviews on Friday. According to trade tracker Sacnilk, the film earned ₹3.65 crore on day two, slightly higher than its opening-day collection of ₹3 crore.