India, May 26 -- The conversation around Bollywood's use of classical dance forms has resurfaced once again, and this time, it centres around Ananya Panday's viral dance sequence from Chand Mera Dil. Days after clips from the film flooded social media timelines, actor Chunky Panday has finally reacted to the criticism aimed at his daughter over a Bharatanatyam-inspired fusion performance that many online users labelled "disrespectful" to the classical art form. But according to him, audiences completely misunderstood the intent behind the choreography.

Speaking to ETimes, Chunky clarified that the sequence was never designed to be presented as pure Bharatanatyam. Instead, he described it as a modern fusion routine inspired by the kind of...