Q&A WITH CHUNKY PANDEY
Chunky Pandey on playing dark characters, making his streaming debut and some advice for his daughter on how to deal with trolls
Q. Comedy has been your forte but lately you have been tapping into your dark side.
I have always rooted for villains. I have loved Pran, Prem Chopra, Amjad Khan, Amrish Puri. I am surprised I took this long to do these roles. I started this shift a couple of years ago with Begum Jaan. Then there was Saaho. My character in the Zee5 series Abhay is a first for me though. He’s a guy next door with crazy traits. I borrowed the image of a schoolteacher with whom I had a love-hate relationship. He was the sort of guy who would get teased by kids and barked at by dogs just walking down the street.
Q. You are making your digital debut. How do you see the OTT space?
There’s no censorship and it gives you the ultimate magic wand of creativity. New actors have been discovered and been on the forefront because of it. I am going to be in everyone’s living rooms, bedrooms and even bathrooms.
Q. The social media discourse is filled with so much vitriol after Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. What advice do you have for your daughter Ananya?
If you live by the sword, you die by it. All I can tell her is to try and not read all the negative comments. We are going through such trying times. If they are saying things about you, forgive and forget.
Q. In a career spanning over 30 years, you have amassed 99 credits. What does it take to sustain yourself in show business?
I think I am more resilient than the virus. You have to be very thick-skinned, love what you do, have a positive mindset and hold on to your inner child through it all.