Ahaan Panday opens up about the REAL Hindu name given to him by his family: 'My grandmother was a big Yash Raj Film lover'

Ahaan Panday reveals his HINDU name

Ahaan Panday might be fresh on the big screen with Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, but it isn’t his debut alone that has caught fans’ attention. The actor recently shared something far more personal — the real names that he and his sister, Alanna Panday, were given at birth.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Ahaan revealed that while audiences know him by his screen name, his Hindu name is actually Yash. His sister, Alanna, is also known as Chandni, inspired by the Yash Raj Films classic.

Their parents chose these names as a way of honouring both Hindu and Christian traditions within the family, while at the same time celebrating their enduring love for cinema.

Ahaan Panday is the son of businessman Aloke Chikki Panday and wellness expert Deanne Panday.  Ahaan was always surrounded by the world of film, but he thinks it was the influence of his late grandmother that shaped his artistic journey most deeply.

An admirer of Yash Raj Films, Ahaan Panday's grandmother always wished to see him on the big screen. For Ahaan, beginning his career with the banner was not only a professional achievement but also the fulfilment of a promise made to her.

Reflecting on this connection, 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.”

Despite receiving multiple offers from other production houses, Ahaan chose to wait until Aditya Chopra assured him of a YRF launch. It was, he explained, the only path that felt true to both his instincts and his grandmother’s wish.

Although he once imagined himself as a writer, acting soon became the stronger calling, tied closely to his grandmother’s dream. “Becoming an actor was also his late grandmother’s dream – a wish he feels proud to have fulfilled,” he shared.

In Saiyaara, Ahaan stars as a rebellious musician who falls in love with a songwriter, played by Aneet Padda, coping with Alzheimer’s. The story touched audiences deeply, earning an extraordinary ₹563 crore worldwide and cementing its place among the highest-grossing love stories in Indian cinema history.