Navya Naveli Nanda, granddaughter of Bollywood icons Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, has spoken candidly about the impact her grandmother’s advice has had on her life.
In a recent interview, 27‑year‑old Navya, who is also the daughter of columnist Shweta Bachchan Nanda and industrialist Nikhil Nanda, highlighted a lesson from her grandmother about resisting societal expectations.
She said the best guidance from Jaya Bachchan is about not being “Bound by what others expect” and focusing instead on pursuing her personal goals with authenticity and self‑awareness.
Born into two highly influential families spanning film and business, Navya could easily have followed in her grandparents’ footsteps into acting, but she deliberately chose a different direction.
While her younger brother Agastya Nanda has pursued a career in movies.
Navya opted out of Bollywood and instead embraced entrepreneurship and social change.
She has credited her privileged background for opening doors, but stresses that her drive comes from wanting to make a meaningful impact rather than riding on a famous last name.
Navya is co‑founder of Aara Health, a health‑tech startup focused on women’s well‑being, and leads Project Naveli, a nonprofit initiative tackling gender inequality in India.
Her work reflects not just her personal ambitions but also lessons about leadership and confidence inherited from the strong women around her.
She is also a student at the prestigious Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, where she balances academic pursuits with her business and advocacy efforts.
Navya has said her grandmother’s liberal, open‑minded outlook that a woman’s role isn’t confined to traditional expectations.
Navya’s journey illustrates how she has embraced her heritage while forging a distinctly modern career, guided by family wisdom and her own vision for empowerment.