From classroom to camera: What Ahaan Panday studied before his Bollywood debut
Before he stepped into the spotlight with Yash Raj Films’ Saiyaara, Ahaan Panday was quietly building a foundation far from the red carpet. His journey into cinema began not with auditions but with structured classroom learning, storyboarding, and camera practice.What makes Ahaan’s path distinct is its deliberate pace and his choices reflect a student-led curiosity about the language of film. Long before the scripts arrived, he was learning how to frame a shot, break down a narrative, and work as part of a team. As conversations around formal film education grow among young aspirants, Ahaan’s academic choices offer a compelling case for why learning the craft matters just as much as talent or opportunity
Ahaan’s journey from IB schooling to media studies
Ahaan completed his schooling at Oberoi International School in Mumbai, an institution known for its International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum and emphasis on creative learning. The school’s exposure to performing arts and global studies is often credited with helping students discover non-traditional pathways early on. For Ahaan, this environment laid the groundwork for a growing interest in visual storytelling.He later enrolled at the University of Mumbai, where he pursued a degree in Cinematic Arts with a focus on film and television production. His coursework combined both the creative and technical sides of cinema, which included screenwriting, direction, editing, and post-production — alongside collaborative projects. This academic framework gave him a disciplined lens through which he approached performance and production, long before his acting debut was announced.
A rising trend: Ahaan learnt film before making one
Ahaan’s decision to study film formally aligns with a broader shift seen across India in recent years. With the growth of content platforms and the evolving expectations from audiences, aspiring actors, directors, and producers are increasingly choosing structured media education over informal apprenticeships. Universities and private institutions now report higher enrolment in film courses, especially from students who want to understand both the artistry and the machinery of the industry.What sets Ahaan apart is his deliberate choice to gain hands-on experience alongside his studies. He worked as an assistant director on titles like Freaky Ali, Rock On 2, and the Netflix series The Railway Men. These roles added practical perspective to his classroom learning, shaping his understanding of how large-scale sets operate and what it means to be part of a professional production.Released on July 18, 2025, Saiyaara marks Ahaan’s official entry into acting under Yash Raj Films’ talent management wing. But this moment is less about a star kid arriving and more about a student of cinema taking his first major step. With his formal education in filmmaking and exposure to multiple facets of production, Ahaan represents a growing group of performers who see academic learning as a tool, not a detour.His journey serves as a reminder that in today’s film industry, skill is nurtured long before the camera starts rolling and sometimes, the most interesting debuts begin not on screen, but in a classroom.TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here.
