Ahaan Panday reveals his and sister Alanna’s REAL Hindu names with a Yash Raj Films twist!

Ahaan Panday is the breakout star of the year, and all thanks go to Mohit Suri's Saiyaara. The young actor became the talk of the entire country following the release of the romantic drama. Alongside Ahaan, actress Aneet Padda also made her acting debut. Both fresh faces were kept away from media interactions before the release. However, now that the film is out and a hit, the two recently interacted with The Hollywood Reporter India, where they revealed a lot about themselves, their project, and even their personal lives.

Recently, Ahaan, who hails from the well-known Panday family of Bollywood, revealed his real name, which he said was given to him according to Hindu tradition and for the love of movies.

What are Ahaan Panday and Alanna Panday's real names?

Ahaan and his sister, YouTuber and vlogger Alanna Panday, each have two names: one as per the Christian faith, and another to honour their Hindu roots.

In the interview, the actor shared that his Hindu name is Yash, while his sister Alanna’s Hindu name is Chandni. Their late grandmother, a huge admirer of filmmaker Yash Raj Chopra and his cinema, was the inspiration behind the names.

Ahaan said, “I think it goes back to my grandmother; that was the person close to me whom I lost. Yash Raj Films was a dream for me, it was the cinema I grew up with, the cinema my grandmother dreamed I would be a part of. She used to call me ‘Raj’ all the time. My sister’s Hindu name is Chandni, based on the film Chandni, and my Hindu name is Yash; we’re big filmy Yash Raj [Films] lovers.”

Ahaan's father, Aloke Chikki Panday, is a Hindu. While his mother, Deanne Panday, is a Christian. To honour both their roots, they chose to give their kids two names. The actor, who is the nephew of Chunky Panday and cousin of actress Ananya, further revealed that he waited for a Yash Raj Films project to make his debut. Although he received many offers, he chose to wait for Aditya Chopra’s promise to launch him.

"When Adi sir asked me, it was instinctive because I believed it was my destiny. It was just this childhood dream of mine; I’ve seen these heroes my whole life, emulated them, looked up to them and that was [what I wanted to be] the first chapter of my professional life. I’ll look back on this and be very happy, and I know my grandmother would be very happy. It was her dream for me to be an actor; I wanted to be a writer. Somewhere, I did this for her," the actor added.