‘Absolute Trash’: Ananya Panday’s ‘Bharatanatyam’ Leaves Classical Artists Furious

Renowned Bharatanatyam and Odissi exponent Sonal Mansingh has sharply criticised actor Ananya Panday for her Bharatanatyam fusion sequence in the film 'Chand Mera Dil', describing it as “absolute trash” and “unacceptable”.

A clip from the film has gone viral online, showing Ananya’s character attempting a blend of Bharatanatyam with hip-hop and locking, while co-star Lakshya looks on.

Intended as a contemporary reinterpretation, the sequence has instead triggered widespread debate across social media platforms.

The performance has drawn reactions ranging from memes to detailed critiques, with several users and trained Bharatanatyam practitioners questioning whether the fusion was effective or fundamentally flawed.

Speaking to ANI during the backlash, Mansingh dismissed the sequence outright, questioning whether it could even qualify as a performance.

"I won't even call it a performance. I'm sorry. If you can say that Sonal Mansingh performs and Ananya Panday also performs, we can't say that," she said.

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"This is not Bharatanatyam, of course not, whatever so-called movement, swinging out and in and all that. I don't understand," she added.

The Padma Vibhushan awardee also raised concerns about what she termed a decline in creative standards in Hindi cinema, accusing filmmakers of undermining India’s cultural traditions.

Acclaimed dancer Anita R Ratnam also reacted strongly to the clip. In a post on X, she criticised the portrayal of the classical form in the sequence.

"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," she wrote.

"Bharatanatyam is built on technique, control, tradition, geometry, musicality and emotional depth. This clip treats it like a wedding sangeet filmed during a mild earthquake,” she added.

“The tragedy is not that it is BAD. Bad can sometimes be charming. The tragedy is the complete confidence with which it bulldozes through centuries of sophistication, training, dedication and devotion while appearing utterly unaware that ADAVUS are not optional suggestions. This is choreography by algorithmic panic - and Lord Nataraja is suffering this abomination,” Anita said.

Another dancer, Krithika Sivaswamy, echoed similar concerns, pointing to what she described as the industry’s insensitivity towards classical arts.

"Ananya Panday's "Bharatnatyam" shows how the industry is insensitive to classical arts, how they mock it and the audacity to put it up publicly on a screen. Unfortunately in India there is no mechanism to sue those who mock classical arts. Its very fluid which makes anyone do any crap with it," she wrote.

(With inputs from ANI)