Aneet Padda says she skips set food now, wanted a solo film after Saiyaara

Saiyaara star Aneet Padda says she no longer eats the food served on film sets. She also says she wanted a women-led film after her breakout, and that Shakti Shalini lets a whole movie rest on her shoulders.

In a recent interview, the actor said she loves being on set and could not name a downside. Food was the one exception. In the year before Saiyaara, she ate what the unit served and found it "so bad", so bad that papad would fizz in her mouth. Now, she said, she is lucky enough to order from outside.

She is not the only one complaining about set meals. In August 2026, Ashok Dubey, secretary of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees, wrote to Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe. He said food at shooting locations was often stale, poorly cooked and made in unhygienic conditions. Actor Govind Namdev has spoken of a "food hierarchy" on sets, where stars eat different meals from everyone else.

On her career, Padda said she made a conscious choice to move away from romance after Saiyaara became a hit in 2025. She described Shakti Shalini as action, romance and the supernatural in one film, and said it let her explore a completely different version of herself.

"I wanted to do a solo film, to be as blunt as I can be," she said. Carrying a film alone can feel a little intimidating, she admitted, but whatever happens with it is hers to own.