‘My daughter is copying me’
Actor Chunky Pandey — known for his acts as Aakhree Pasta in the Housefull series in recent times — is back to the frontlines yet again, this time for a short film called Dhonu. The actor himself is a bit amused by the resemblance of the title to the name of former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni.
“No, it is not a film on Mahendra Singh Dhoni, because it has already been made with Sushant Singh Rajput. It is a very cute film with a social message on parental pressures. It has a strong social viewpoint but is a pleasant, happy film,” reveals the 57-year-old, whose biggest recall value despite having been a star in the 90s is his Aakhree Pasta role. “I am happy that people have given so much love and accepted that character. Aakhree Pasta is like James Bond, who is licensed to do anything. Aakhree Pasta says anything and everything and then says, ‘I am joking’. I was also nominated for several awards for my role as a Nepali character Rana Jung Bahadur. I had put some Bengali into that character. My struggle has always been that when I do a character I don’t keep it authentic. I turn it into a cocktail like how I put some Afghani into Aakhree Pasta. All this is because I am a bad actor and I cannot mimic. But people seem to enjoy it,” he muses.
Chunky — born Suyash Panday — says that his journey was never easy. “I have struggled a lot and bahut papad bele hain (paid my dues) to enter films. I started struggling when I was 18 and got my break at 23; it took me five years. I had my moments of fun during my struggle. Everyone’s struggle is different. I keep telling my daughter Ananya that do not try and imitate anyone because everyone’s story and struggle is very different. Actors only work because their films do. Sometimes you get a film that someone else has rejected and it works, and sometimes you leave a film that goes on to be a hit. These things happen,” says the Aankhen and Aag Hi Aag hero.
Talking about Ananya’s Telugu debut with Vijay Deverakonda, Chunky’s funny side comes out again. “Yes, they are being called Anakonda now,” he chuckles. “My daughter is copying me because even I did Telugu films and she wants to be one step ahead of me as well. It is great for her. Puri Jagannadh is a good filmmaker and a lot of his films have been remade in Hindi and I know that she will learn a lot,” he adds. — Sanskriti Media