Chunky Panday is now a big name in Bollywood, and he has been known for his iconic roles throughout decades. Recently, he got real about a time in his life when he hit rock bottom and had no work. The actor recently shared his struggling days when he had to leave Bollywood and seek projects in Bangladesh out of desperation for work.
Chunky recently sat for a heartfelt chat with his daughter, Ananya Panday, on We Are Yuvaa. At one point, Ananya asked her father if he ever felt that his career was doomed. To this, the actor replied by saying:
“Yeah Yeah. The end means it was like musical chairs were happening and when the music stopped, you didn’t have a chair to sit on. I mean, I had blockbuster films and this was right after Aankhen, which is supposed to be an iconic hit. I actually had no work. The only film I got was Teesra Kaun, and it completely dried up after that.”
Chunky was riding high on the success of blockbuster hits like Aankhen in the late 1980s and early ’90s, but soon, the offers started to dry up. Instead of giving up, he packed his bags and moved to Bangladesh, where he starred in films that turned out to be big hits. Chunky shared:
“So I landed up going to Bangladesh, doing movies there. Luckily those worked and I kind of made that my home for 4-5 years… I didn’t stop working. I opened an events company… I started dealing in land, buying properties… Imagine going from house to house trying to do things. I’ve been through flat broke I mean.”
Further into the conversation, Ananya remembered how she did not have the opportunity to visit her dad on the sets, unlike many star kids. Chunky recalled that Aanya never came on set because he was going through that low phase when he married her mom, Bhavana Pandey. By the time he returned from Bangladesh, he was a forgotten face in Bollywood, and was struggling to find work for himself.
Earlier, in an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Bhavana Pandey recalled that her parents were strictly against her marrying Chunky due to his involvement with the film world and his uncertain acting career. She also shared how marrying the Aankhen actor during his lowest phase was a rollercoaster ride, and they worked as a unit to get him back on his feet. Bhavana shared:
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“In my case, Chunky made me feel extremely comfortable. It was also the time when he was at the lowest phase of his career so we were more like a unit than him flying on his own. I supported him a lot in my own way from the house.”
Chunky’s story didn’t end in struggle. He made an epic comeback as a character actor in the 2000s, winning hearts with his comic timing in films like Housefull. Currently, he’s gearing up to bring back the iconic ‘Akhri Pasta’ in Housefull 5, set to hit the theatres in 2025.
What are your views on Chunky Panday’s struggle story?
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