Amitabh Bachchan's granddaughter is building a corporate career at her father's tractor and engineering firm rather than entering Bollywood.
Navya Naveli Nanda, 28, is working alongside her father Nikhil Nanda at Escorts Kubota Limited, a listed tractor and engineering company valued at approximately Rs 32,500 crore, the Times of India reported on September 12, 2026. The report describes her corporate journey as centred around tractors and heavy farm machinery, a setting the publication called "far removed" from the image typically associated with her film family.
Statements on Identity Beyond the Family Name
Earning Your Place Beyond The Last Name: Nikhil Nanda On Navya Naveli Nanda’s Future At Escorts Kubota.
— Shrishti Sahu ? (@shrishtie) June 10, 2026
“Just because her last name is Nanda does not give her the right to get a position. She has to earn her position.” Nikhil Nanda’s honest take on legacy, governance, and why… pic.twitter.com/nbRVUahULv
Speaking at the launch of "Aparajita," the Hindi edition of Arundhati Bhattacharya's memoir "Indomitable," Navya said everyone carries a surname and an equal responsibility to live up to it, but added, "I would never want to restrict my identity to just my last name," according to the Times of India. She said she does not want to be defined solely by her roles as daughter, granddaughter, sister or friend, stating that women are "far beyond those labels," and expressed a wish to build her identity through both her professional and personal life. She is the daughter of Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Nikhil Nanda, and granddaughter of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. The Times of India report also noted that Navya cited her paternal grandmother, Ritu Nanda, an entrepreneur and Raj Kapoor's eldest daughter, as a significant influence on her career ambitions.
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Her Role at Escorts Kubota
Nikhil Nanda serves as Chairman and Managing Director of Escorts Kubota, a major player in India's agricultural machinery sector. According to an Economic Times report from September 2024, Navya, then an IIM Ahmedabad student, held a 0.02% stake in the company worth about Rs 7 crore, and had undergone shop-floor training as a junior marketing manager at an Escorts Kubota plant in Chennai. Moneycontrol reported in December 2025 that she joined her father and senior leadership at the National Stock Exchange to mark 30 years of the company's listing, signalling her growing involvement in the business. Separately, in remarks reported by NDTV in June 2026, Nikhil Nanda said Navya's surname does not entitle her to a position at the company and that she must earn her role, reinforcing that her expanding responsibilities remain tied to demonstrated performance rather than family lineage.
