Ananya Panday recalls acting advice from Shah Rukh Khan, he said: ‘imagine life without a loved one’ to evoke true emotion

Actress Ananya Panday recently revealed a valuable piece of acting advice she received from Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Ananya said that SRK, who also happens to be her best friend Suhana Khan’s father, told her that whenever she has to perform a highly emotional scene, for instance, one involving the death of a loved one, she should not just imagine that the person is gone, but rather picture how life would feel without them.

Reflecting on that absence and the void it creates will help bring out real, raw emotion on screen. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Ananya said, “Shah Rukh sir had actually told me once… I could be saying this completely wrong, but this is what I remember. He had once told me that when there’s a scene where someone dies, instead of thinking about that person being dead, think about how life would be without that person. Think about continuing life but that person is not there anymore. Or think about the happy moments with that person, and that will make you sad."

Ananya said this advice struck a chord with her and that she continues to rely on it whenever she needs to dig deep during emotional scenes.