Here's why this year has been special for birthday girl Ananya Panday!

Ananya Panday made a mark in Bollywood with her first release 'Student of the Year 2' this year in May and as she ringed in her 21st birthday on Wednesday, the actor highlighted that this has been the most special year yet as she got to live her dream.

Ananya, while expressing her joy on Instagram, posted a happy picture of her along with a thankful note.

"21!!! this year has been the most special yet since I got to live my dream," she said.

"Thank u to my lovely family, friends, team, media and supporters for sticking by and I hope u always stay," the birthday girl added.

Showering love and wishes on her, Sonakshi Sinha wrote, "Happy birthday baby."

Celebrations for Ananya's special day kicked off a day early as her 'Pati, Patni Aur Woh' co-actor Kartik Aaryan surprised the star with a delectable chocolate cake on the film's set.

The 21-year-old will be seen playing Kartik's other woman in the film while Bhumi Pednekar will be seen as his on-screen wife.

Apart from the trio, 'Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety' actor Sunny Singh has also joined the film's cast. Kartik announced the news on Instagram earlier this month.

Directed by Mudassar Aziz, the film is an adaptation of the 1978 drama of the same name, which featured Sanjeev Kumar, Vidya Sinha and Ranjeeta Kaur in the lead roles.

The original one revolved around a married couple Ranjeet (Sanjeev) and Sharda (Vidya) and how things changed after he got involved with his secretary Nirmala (Ranjeeta).

The upcoming remake is set to hit the big screens on December 6 this year.

( With inputs from ANI )