Mumbai, Sep 20 (IANS): Actress Ananya Panday reminisced about her initial years as a woman in the film industry and shared that she has become a lot more vocal about what I stand for.

“I've become a lot more vocal about what I stand for. What keeps me going is seeing change; knowing that speaking up or even through cinema you can actually make an impact.”

“Even if one young girl comes up to me and says I am myself because you are yourself and I feel comfortable in my skin, for me that’s where I have done my job. I think seeing change is a huge reason why I keep going,” Ananya shared.

Ananya, who made her debut in 2019 with “Student of the Year 2” and her most recent work is “Call Me Bae”, was speaking at Prime Video’s “Maitri: Female First Collective”.

She stressed on the importance of building a supportive environment for her contemporaries and shared her thoughts on the power of female friendships in the world of glitz and glamour.

She added: “They keep pitting women against each other, actresses against actresses, but with Sara (Ali Khan) and Janhavi (Kapoor) it's not a very conscious attempt, we constantly try to be there for each other and support each other very publicly, so that we are showing people this is how female friendships are supposed to be like, don’t believe any other way.”

Launched in 2022, “Maitri: Female First Collective” is an initiative that aims to create a safe space for women in Indian media and entertainment.

Talking about her upcoming films, Ananya will next be seen in the thriller “CTRL” by Vikramaditya Motwane.

The actress will essay the role of a content creator in the upcoming streaming thriller.

This project marks Ananya’s second film following 'Kho Gaye Hum Kahan', which explores the digital space impacting lifestyle.

In 'CTRL', the actress stars alongside Vihaan Samat, portraying a romantic couple who produce content on social media. The film questions the dependency on technology in the current times and the digital revolution.