Chunky Panday Speaks on Career Hurdles and How He Coped in Bollywood

Chunky Panday shares his journey through Bollywood's ups and downs, revealing how he overcame career struggles in the 1990s, found success in Bangladesh, and reinvented himself as a character actor in the 2000s.

New Delhi, Nov 30– Actor Chunky Panday recently shared his turbulent journey through Bollywood. He also shared an experience of the tough phase of his career that he had faced during the 1990s. His daughter, Ananya Panday, also opened up about seeing her father face professional struggles when she was a child.

Having gained such huge success in the early 1980s to the early 1990s with films like Tezaab and Aankhen, Chunky’s roles start to decline. Being straightforward, he explained how lead roles gradually shifted to character roles and how his profession expanded to Bangladesh where it was successful for nearly three years.

Recalling this period, Chunky shared, “When your mom and I got married, my career was at a low. I had just returned from working in Bangladesh and was trying to find opportunities back in India. I deliberately avoided bringing you or your mom to my film sets, as I didn’t want you to see that side of my struggle.

The downturn in Chunky’s Bollywood career came after the success of Aankhen. He claimed that substantial offers had become scarce after that, making the experience “humbling and scary”. Determined to support his family, he ventured into other fields like running an events company and dealing in property, besides acting in Bangladesh. “I never stopped working; I set my ego aside and focused on survival,” he admitted, adding that he had even faced times of financial difficulty. Ananya, talking about her father’s struggles, said, “I didn’t grow up seeing crowds waiting outside our house. My dad wasn’t working for long periods, and I often saw him at home. It was very different from the life many would imagine for a star’s family.”

Chunky’s perseverance eventually paid off. In the 2000s, he reinvented himself as a successful character actor, earning acclaim for his comedic roles in films like the *Housefull* series. His ability to adapt and stay relevant is a testament to his talent and determination.

This experience highlights the resilience with which Chunky Panday and his like navigate the capricious world of cinema, thereby becoming an inspiration for many others in that industry who are facing comparable challenges.