Aneet Padda’s rise in Bollywood has sparked curiosity — and controversy. With her breakout role in Saiyaara and a growing fanbase, many began asking if she had industry roots.
Born in Amritsar in 2002 to Navdeep and Sukhjit Padda, Aneet has no familial ties to the film industry. Her entry was far from glamorous — cold emails, shady casting websites, and self-recorded auditions done behind closed doors while telling her parents she was doing homework. By her own account, she sent over 50 emails to casting directors, often attaching Snapchat-filtered headshots and a “horrible biodata.”
Rumors that she is the daughter of director Nitya Mehra and actor Karan Kapadia are false. They have a child born in 2019 — years after Aneet. She once referred to them as her “Bombay parents,” a nod to their mentorship during Big Girls Don’t Cry, not a biological connection.
After a small role in Salaam Venky, and a bigger one in Big Girls Don’t Cry, Aneet got her major break in Saiyaara. The film was a hit — and so was she. Yet despite the fame, she’s spoken openly about battling anxiety, depression, and self-doubt throughout her early years in the industry.
Aneet Padda is not a nepo kid. She’s a newcomer who found her way in through persistence, not privilege — and she’s only getting started.