Published on: Oct 27, 2025 12:11 pm IST
Navya Naveli Nanda shared about her challenging yet rewarding MBA experience, emphasizing personal growth and friendships formed during the program.
Navya Naveli Nanda, granddaughter of Amitabh Bachchan, recently opened up about her experience pursuing the blended MBA programme at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) in a new interview with Mojo Story hosted by Barkha Dutt.
Navya talks about her IIM-A experience
Having completed her prior education overseas, Navya said the transition back into student life, complete with exams and rigorous coursework, has been a challenging yet rewarding journey. “It’s a two-year full-time blend of on-campus and online. Of course, it has been tough … anyone who’s done an MBA, especially from IIM-A, can attest to that.”
She further reflected on the personal growth she has experienced during the past year, which included adjusting to being back in exam mode after six years away from formal classroom assessments, and learning from the diverse pool of classmates around her.
“The best part for me has been the friendships. What I’ve learnt from my batch-mates is far more than what I’ve learnt inside the classroom.” She praised her professors and the curriculum, and described the overall experience as one of the most fulfilling so far.
Navya received a lot of backlash when news of her admission emerged. Some critics questioned why someone from an elite family would choose a domestic institution rather than studying abroad again. In response, IIM-A professor Promila Agarwal defended her admission, pointing out that Navya cleared the programme’s cut-off like any other candidate. “Even if people want to discredit her interview & CV, she, dammit, cleared the cut-off,” the professor wrote on X.
Navya’s other projects
Beyond her academic endeavours, Navya continues to wear many hats. She’s the founder of the non-profit Project Naveli, co-founder of women’s health tech company Aara Health, a participant in her family business Escorts Kubota, and host of the podcast What The Hell Navya with mother Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Jaya Bachchan.
