Actor Ananya Panday took us inside her bag in a candid segment on Vogue India that was as charming as it was relatable. Yes, there were luxury staples and beauty must-haves, but it was her confessions and playful honesty that made this bag special.
Right from the start, Panday revealed to her most precious companion, her dog Riot: “He’s the most perfect dog in the world. I just look at him and I’m just like, how can so much love be in such a tiny body? He just came into my life at the right time.”
“When I hear his feet, I just feel like I’m home,” she shared. “If I’m just feeling sad, he’ll look at me and tilt his head, and I’m just like… nothing matters in this world.”
Ananya’s Chanel 25 bag fits her “whole life into one bag, and you’ll honestly be surprised about what all I can keep in my bag.”
What does this include? A multifunctional array of essentials: her phone, always by her side, a lipstick for quick touch-ups, and a super cute star-shaped Chanel pouch where she stores little things like earphones, mints, and rubber bands; “just small cutesy stuff,” as she calls it.
Her bag also carries a scarf, versatile enough to tie around her head or even wear as a top. She joked about using her headphones not just for music, but also, “I have my headphones to stop listening to other people. It works great for both.”
Ananya shared her latest musical obsession: “I’m obsessed with this song called Aahista Aahista,” and her favourite podcast: “I love Call Her Daddy.”
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For quiet moments, Ananya keeps a Sally Rooney book in her bag — “She’s one of my favourite authors. I’ve read all her books.”
There’s also a hidden pouch inside the bag, perfect for “secret stuff” like her house keys, which, she notes, have become essential now that she lives alone. “I also really enjoy this additional pouch that the bag has because I can keep some secret stuff in it.”And tucked inside are her grandmother’s bangles: “I also have my dadi‘s bangles, that she gave me, which I always carry around everywhere I go.”
Ananya also showed off a quirky detail: a backup dog toy for Riot when he visits her on set. Because, as she puts it, he needs entertainment too.
Among her must-haves is a hand sanitiser (a post-COVID habit), and her absolute favourite — tiger balm. “I cannot live without it. I use this to sleep, to relax… It’s the best. I can’t even put it into words. It’s too good.”
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And if she could magically fit a person into her bag? It would be her sister Rysa. “She’s my favourite person ever… but like a mute version of Rysa, so she doesn’t say anything to me,” the actor quipped with a laugh.
