Last Updated:August 25, 2026, 07:02 IST

Abhay Verma praises peers like Vedang Raina and Ahaan Panday stating young actors support each other’s success. He also talks about his 6-year-old friendship with Aneet Padda.

Abhay Verma was recently seen in Operation Safed Sagar, which is streaming on Netflix.

In Abhay Verma’s words, there exists no competition between him and his contemporaries. That’s why when Vedang Raina earned wide critical acclaim for Main Vaapas Aaunga or Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda set the box office on fire with Saiyaara last year, he was far more invested in hyping them up rather than wallowing in envy.

Speaking exclusively to News18, Abhay heaps praises on them and says, “I’ve met Ahaan a couple of times. He’s a lovely guy. I really respect him. Kudos to him and Aneet for breaking records with Saiyaara! I hope they do it with many more films. I wish the same for Vedang.” With Aneet, however, he shares a far more personal equation and reiterates that he’ll always root for her.

“Aneet and I go back a long way – roughly six years. We did a Cadbury commercial and we hit it off. She’s from Amritsar and I’m from Panipat, which are [culturally] very similar. She has a great sense of humour and that’s where we bonded. I’m so proud of her. She’s a beautiful actor. There’s no way she didn’t deserve the love that came her way. She deserves all of it and more,” he remarks.

Abhay points out that brotherhood is an integral part of the equation the young crop of actors share. “I believe that we, young actors, don’t really have that sense of competition among us. We respect each other’s dreams. We know the kind of stakes that are on us and the value of opportunities. That’s why we respect the opportunities each of us gets,” he tells us.

“We’re all here to serve a bigger purpose, which is to entertain the audience. What we’ve among us is beautiful. I speak to all them. I was recently speaking to Pratibha [Ranta], Rohit [Saraf] and Bhuvan [Bam] about The Revolutionaries,” he adds. In fact, he feels ‘genuine joy’ watching a contemporary deliver a ‘great performance’. So, what makes him so secure?

“I’ve been given some great opportunities and I made the most out of them. We all have distinct flavours. Our directors and producers are wise enough to pick us for the right characters and I trust them. I’m working with my idol [Shah Rukh Khan] now. I’m getting to sit in rooms with Hansal [Mehta] sir and Lijo [Jose Pellissery] sir, who I could only dream of being in the same room with,” Abhay says.

The Munjya and Operation Safed Sagar actor now also hopes to share screen space with his peers and doing an ensemble cast film is something he wouldn’t want to shy away from. “Fingers crossed! I would love nothing more than a multistarrer with them. I want to collaborate with all of them so that we can give our audiences the best experience,” he shares.

Emphasising on a collective win, Abhay further adds, “If you win alone, that’s not really a win because you won’t have anybody to celebrate it with. I’m a very people-friendly person and I love it when all of us wins together. When everyone in a room is happy and receive compliments, that’s real win.”

Key Questions Answered

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What projects are Abhay Verma’s contemporaries working on?

Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda are set to reunite with Mohit Suri for a new romantic film, with shooting expected to begin in October or November 2026. Aneet Padda has also completed filming for “Shakti Shalini”.

How does Abhay Verma’s approach differ from others?

Abhay Verma believes that young actors do not have a sense of competition among themselves and instead support each other’s success, emphasising collective wins. He also prioritises strong stories, filmmakers, and reinvention over predictable stardom and safe roles, choosing projects that challenge him and refusing to be typecast.

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About the Author

Titas ChowdhurySenior Correspondent

Titas Chowdhury is a Special Correspondent at News18 Showsha. She writes about cinema, music and gender in cinema. Interviewing actors and filmmakers, writing about latest trends in showbiz and bringi…Read More