What has always fascinated me about actors is the wide array of roles they get to play in their careers. And while Chunky Panday has had quite a long career, he surely has led THE actor life, playing some amazing parts. But you know what I like about him, he doesn’t stop inventing his craft further. Recently when he played a villain in the South film Sardar he was lauded for his performance, and when I spoke to him he was still so humble about it. He is a happy actor, but more so a proud father to Ananya Panday who he totally adores.
In fact, when I asked him how he feels about his daughter’s successes, Chunky said…
I have never enjoyed my success to the amount I am enjoying hers. Nowadays I actually get invited to places because of her. I remember the excitement on my dad’s face when I became an actor, and now I am going through it myself. Even my wife has now become a Bollywood wife. I meet people who want to do video calls with her, so I am surrounded by lady luck.
Talking about his role in Sardar, Chunky shared…
My journey as a villain started when I did a film in 2017, I have been doing stuff after that on the negative space, this one was very interesting because I played this role from the age of 35 to 70. In my long career of 35 years I have never played a character who ages, I have played a part with rebirth. I have been a little luck with the South, I had Saaho that released in 2019, it was a bumper hit. The film did almost 400 crores business, after that there is Sardar that has crossed 100 crores.
On the amazing response, the film received…
I was taken aback by the bumper response the film got when it released on Diwali. I am very happy that my character really got appreciated.
Chunky also explained what he sees in a script before telling it a yes…
I am from the old school, I never read scripts. I prefer taking a narration because somewhere in the narration you can always make out how much the director loves this character. If you find him loving the character, it’s a big yes.
I guess, why I love actors so much because the show always goes on for them, and they happily keep moving from one part to another. Chunky too has been doing so for more than three decades now. Kudos to him!