Ananya Panday on Paris debutante ball: Never worn anything so fancy

Ananya with parents Chunky and Bhavana Panday at their Bandra residence. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar

Over two months ago, the Panday household received a letter from Ophélie Renouard, inviting their elder daughter Ananya to be a part of Paris' Le Bal. It was not something the 18-year-old, her father, actor Chunky Panday and wife Bhavana saw coming. Hinged on the traditional European concept of a debutante ball, Le Bal, Paris, has over the years fashioned itself as the place for 16 to 18-year-olds, from both royalty and famous families, to make their couture and media premiere.

Panday, who has just graduated from high school in Mumbai, and is looking forward to starting college at the University of Southern California next January, is a private celebrity kid without a frenzied social media imprint.

Ananya Pandey

"I am there, and fairly active, too, but my accounts are private," she tells us, as we settle down for a chat at her Bandra home. Until this very moment, Panday has never met or spoken with the media. There's a quiet, innocent charm about her, and, an affable manner that one is easily taken in by. Dressed in ripped jeans, she stands as tall as her father, thanks to the four-inch heels she effortlessly struts in. Initially, Ananya says, she thought it was a family friend playing a prank.

"It's the only by-invitation debutante ball in the world and I did not believe it [that she was invited], when mum told me. But, I think reality has finally sunk in." She doesn't want to get too worked up, though. "Nervous excitement would be the apt phrase to describe my state of mind. Nervous, because I have never been part of anything like this before," says Panday, who will don a Jean Paul Gaultier gown. "I have never worn anything so fancy, or even an evening gown. Once I was told I would be wearing a Gaultier, I read up on him. I realise it's quite a big deal," she says with a smile.

Ananya with her parents Bhavana and Chunky, and family pet Fudge who also seems to want a share of the limelight

In the next few days, Panday will be sending her measurements to the couturier. The final fittings will happen two days before the ball. "The trick is to not lose or gain weight, once the measurements are sent," interjects Bhavana. Being blessed with a tall and lean frame, there's no diet regime Ananya follows. In fact, earlier this year, when the family holidayed in Paris, she and her younger sister binged on French cuisine.

"I go to the gym and attend kathak classes. Soon, I will be taking ballroom dance lessons with my cousin Ahaan, who will be my cavalier at the ball. We have a dance [planned] together," she says of Deanne and Chikki Panday's son.

Styling and make-up are taken care of by the organisers. "The beauty of this event, we are realising, is that it is stress-free. And, it's a debutante ball for a reason. Nobody expects you to be perfect. As far as grooming goes, in children these days, it's in-born. The idea is to be yourself and, most importantly, savour the exclusive experience," Bhavana says. Ananya has not exchanged notes with any former participants. "I want this to be my experience. When you hear about others, you tend to compare."

Parisian PR supremo Ophelie Renouard founded Le Bal in 1992. Today, she's the CEO of the grand event that completes 25 years on November 25, 2017

While the selection of someone as private as her might come as a surprise, Renouard says that she "is exactly the kind of debutante we are looking for; exceptional girls who are private and discreet, even though their families are well-known. I like to 'discover them'."

She heard of Ananya through "friends and connections", a standard modus operandi she subscribes to. Once the debutante is selected, the most important task is to find the right couture house. "Then we have a team for the hair and make-up, shoes and general styling. The tricky part is learning the waltz, as most of them do not know how to dance. A waltz lesson on the Friday before Le Bal helps," she adds.

With Indian families, however, Renouard has one stumbling block. "Sometimes, the entourage makes it difficult to directly deal with the parents and the girls, which is something I prefer. If you deal with an assistant, no matter how good they are, something always gets lost in translation."

Princess Charming to do the waltz

Joining Ananya at the ball is Gauravi Kumari, daughter to Diya Kumari, Rajasthan MLA, and daughter of the last Maharaja of Jaipur. An experience on this scale is a first for her, too. "Which is why it is so exciting," she tells us over email. She has just moved to New York to start her term at NYU. "I am taking waltz classes, and I am still contemplating on the shoes I will be taking along," says Kumari, who will be dressed by Delhi couturier Tarun Tahiliani.