Don't ever insult art: Congress leader slams Ananya's Bharatanatyam act in film

Congress leader Dr Shama Mohamed criticised actor Ananya Panday over her Bharatanatyam sequence in the film Chand Mera Dil, saying the actor had "killed" her favourite dance form. In a post on X on May 24, Shama said she had learnt Bharatanatyam from the age of seven to 13, completed her arangetram in Kuwait, and felt strongly about the artform.

Her remarks came amid a wider online backlash over a performance by Ananya in the film, with several social media users and classical dancers criticising the sequence.

Shama's post on Ananya

Shama said classical dance has to be studied over time and cannot be manufactured. She posted on X, "Ananya Pandey has killed my favourite dance form - Bharatnatyam! I have learnt it from the age of 7 to the age of 13 - did my arangetram too in Kuwait & never looked back. Classical dance needs to be studied over a period of time & can't be manufactured for Ms Pandey! Please don't ever insult such beautiful art as Bharatnatyam (sic)."

Backlash over film scene

Ananya found herself at the centre of a fresh social media storm after users watched clips of her fusion dance from her latest release. The sequence drew heavy criticism online, with some calling it an insult to the ancient dance form.

Ananya stars opposite Lakshya in Chand Mera Dil, a romantic drama about two aspiring engineers dealing with heartbreak, family baggage, old traumas and the idea of forever. The scene, which was subjected to online scrutiny, appears during a college reunion sequence that carries emotional weight in the story.

Ananya’s character, Chandni, is shown as the daughter of a Bharatanatyam dancer. But instead of performing a traditional recital, she presents a fusion act that blends Bharatanatyam-inspired choreography with modern hip-hop and locking. The skit appears twice in the film, first during Chandni’s college days and later at a reunion function. On both occasions, Lakshya’s character Aarav is shown as completely mesmerised by the performance.

Online reactions

A large part of the outrage appeared to come from viewers treating the scene as a pure Bharatanatyam performance, while the film frames it as a deliberate fusion act. Even so, criticism continued to build online.

Bharatanatyam dancer Anita Ratnam wrote 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 (sic)."

Film release and response

India Today gave the film a 1.5-star rating. A part of the review read, "Chand Mera Dil often feels less like a theatrical romance and more like an Ekta Kapoor television serial with a better costume budget. Actually, scratch that - it genuinely plays like a modern-day Kasautii Zindagii Kay (this is the right spelling, btw). All that's missing is dramatic thunder sounds and someone re-entering after plastic surgery. Because at some point, you will spot an Anurag, a Prerna, a Sneha and a Mr Bajaj lurking inside this film."

Directed by Vivek Soni and produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, Chand Mera Dil released in theatres on May 22.