Navya Naveli Nanda on pressure of Bachchan and Nanda surname: 'Do not want to restrict my identity'

Navya Naveli Nanda has grown up surrounded by some of India’s most recognisable names, but she has consistently chosen a path away from Bollywood. The entrepreneur and granddaughter of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan has built an identity rooted in business and entrepreneurship. At the launch of Arundhati Bhattacharya’s memoir Aparajita, published by HarperCollins, Navya spoke about the responsibility attached to her surname. She has also previously explained why acting was never the career she wanted.

Navya Naveli Nanda on living up to her surname

At the launch of Arundhati Bhattacharya’s memoir Aparajita, published by HarperCollins, Navya was asked by Avinash Kaul how she separates her individual identity from the surname she was born into and whether carrying such a well-known family name comes with a particular kind of pressure.

Navya said everyone has a surname and, with it, an equal responsibility to live up to that name. She acknowledged that she may never completely live up to everything her family name represents, but said she intends to make the effort through both her work and her personal life. However, Navya made it clear that she does not want her identity to be defined solely by her last name. She said she would never want to restrict who she is to her role as a daughter or granddaughter, or even as a friend or sister.

Why does Navya not want to become an actress?

Despite being the granddaughter of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan, Navya has never shown an interest in following her family into acting. In an interview with Josh Talks, Navya addressed the question she has frequently faced about whether she would eventually enter Bollywood. She said the expectation was always that she would become an actress or join the Hindi film industry, making it one of the first questions people asked her.

Her answer, however, was always no. Navya said she was never interested in acting and described herself as a shy person. Even though she grew up around the film industry, she never felt that acting was something she wanted to pursue.

Entrepreneurship was in her environment from childhood

Instead of acting, Navya found herself drawn towards business. Speaking to Josh Talks, she explained that her father’s side of the family, including her grandfather and grandmother, had been involved in business. According to Navya, the entrepreneurial gene was therefore present in her from childhood. She grew up in Delhi and lived there for 13 years. During that time, she regularly saw her father return from work and talk about his company. Business was not something distant or unfamiliar in her household. It was part of everyday conversations.

Navya recalled growing up in an environment where entrepreneurship, the stock market and business were discussed frequently. Although her family is based in Bombay, her years in Delhi exposed her to the workings and conversations around business from an early age.

Why did Navya choose entrepreneurship?

Navya said those childhood experiences stayed with her and eventually influenced the career path she chose. Rather than stepping into Bollywood, she decided that she wanted to become an entrepreneur and run her own business. Her decision has allowed her to build a professional identity separate from the expectations attached to her famous surname. While she acknowledges the responsibility that comes with her family name, Navya has repeatedly emphasised that she wants her own work and choices to define her beyond being Amitabh Bachchan’s granddaughter.

Her comments at the Aparajita memoir launch further underline that distinction: acknowledging the legacy she inherited while refusing to let it become the only description of who she is.