ELLE Cover Star Navya Naveli Nanda: Girl Uninterrupted

It's a hot, chaotic day in Mumbai. The traffic, the grind, and the sultriness are dialed up. Navya Naveli Nanda is not fazed. She looks absolutely cool on a Monday that is anything but. You kind of expect a certain je ne sais quoi from a young woman who’s got the best of everything going for her. But from the time Navya arrives to meet to her being lensed over a few hours, Navya surprises you; she wraps none of that stardom around her as an identity. Instead, you meet someone who exudes a quiet purpose.

Most people may regard her as the ultimate nepo grandkid—born into the first family of films, culture, and tradition. But Nanda, she wears that mantle lightly, fuelling more than fame to her own pace in life. The young and restless changemaker is clear: she isn’t willing to just sit by and watch. Instead, she’s been facilitating change for women and empowering them to find financial independence. Often she is sitting down with them to understand what the issues are, and in that, redefining the mandate—that real power is not about inheriting a legacy but the ability to transform lives.

We are at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai, and with three outfit changes underway, there’s no slowing down Nanda. Much like her own journey, which took off early and shows no sign of taking a pause. A healthcare platform at 21, joining the family business at 21, a vodcast, and thriving work at her NGO—she’s doing it all. What’s the deal with being able to juggle things the way people her age do, and yet staying so focused, is topmost on my mind. “I consider myself very grateful to be doing what I love doing every single day. Whether it is working in the family business or my own non-profit initiatives, it is something I wake up energised to work towards, so staying focused is the easiest task. Being better at what I do every day is very important to me; if I can improve the way I work or increase the impact an initiative brings even 1% every single day, that fulfills me,” the 27-year-old says.

Her college years at Fordham University in New York City have passed, but the lessons continue, now emanating from a quarter that has taken her into the heart of social issues she cares deeply about. “Through Project Naveli, I have had the chance to meet some incredible women across the country. Women who have, through their stories, inspired me and changed me in many ways. Hearing their stories and interacting with them shows you the true strength that women hold, the resilience, and the ambition that fuels it all,” she says. 

But when you come from a lineage of film industry veterans, could it have been easy to escape the lure of the arc lights? Was Bollywood on the table or off it as she made career choices I wondered aloud. “I grew up in Delhi, so a large part of my childhood was spent watching and listening to my father talk about business, and more specifically, tractors. From a very young age, that is what excited me. I never wanted to join films; I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” Nanda responded. 

Legacy can be a powerful platform but also a weight at times, but Nanda has never felt the latter. “Absolutely nothing about where I come from, or who I am, or who my family is has ever been and will ever be a weight. It has only given me immense pride to belong to where I do. I carry each and every aspect of it with pride, and more importantly, responsibility. All I do is to make my family proud,” she says. She also doesn’t balk at the term privilege, setting the narrative straight: “I have always accepted the privilege I come from. It has allowed me to be who I am today. I am accepting of the fact that I was given many opportunities at a very young age that have allowed me to be where I am today, and for that, I will always be grateful. Making the most of those opportunities and doing justice to them is all that matters—giving it the best you can and not taking it for granted.”

Much of that resolute nature comes from the formidable women in her family—her grandmother, actress Jaya Bachchan, and her mother, author Shweta Bachchan Nanda. Happy to share a strong bond with them, Navya reveals, “I think both of them have taught me the fine balance between strength and vulnerability. Both mom and Nani have never shied away from being who they are: confident and bold. They embody the kind of woman I would hope to shape into one day.”

A generous sprinkling of family and work makes for her mood board, and that’s what a day in Nanda's life is like: “It would start off with working on the business, spending a large part of the day on that. Then looking at all the initiatives under Project Naveli and improving them. And finally, classes in the evening for four hours (which is my favourite part of the day).” Yes, for now, studies are also part of that, as she’s pursuing a Blended Post Graduate Programme (BPGP) for an MBA at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad.

And on an off day, her other loves surface: namely, sci-fi, thriller TV series binges, and yes, Justin Bieber (she’s a self-confessed fan), and she adds, “Reading books, spending time with my family, knitting, playing the piano, eating rajma chawal, and hugging my dog.” Like we all make that one resolution to give up a bad habit in 2025, Navya has hers: “Saying yes to everything! I need to learn to say no.”

While she’s extremely self aware she’s also putting in the work to better understand herself. “I am still figuring out how to find balance. I am someone who works to extremes—wanting to achieve everything, do everything, read every book, and work with every partner who approaches us. Finding balance is something I am figuring out how to do. I’ll get there.” No two ways about it.

ELLE India Editor: Ainee Nizami Ahmedi, Photographer: Anai Bharucha, Videographer: Adya Maggo, Stylist: Manisha Melwani, Asst. Art Director: Alekha Chugani, Bookings Editor: Rishith Shetty, Makeup: Mehak Oberoi Production, Hair: Harry B Singh, Production: Imran Khatri Productions, Location Courtesy: Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum