“When I was 22, I was gatecrashing Bollywood parties,” confesses Chunky Panday

Did you know the actor owned a purple Fiat Padmini, which was his most prized possession.

Hey Chunky... at age 22, where were you career-wise?

I sold fancy cars and modelled for different brands for money. I hadn’t become an actor yet.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

And your finances?

My bank balance at 22 was minus zero! I was swamped in debt, always borrowing money.

Chunky’s father, Dr Sharad Panday, was one of Mumbai’s best cardiologists and his mother, Dr Snehalata Panday, was a physician

Any romance in your life?

A lot! I had many girlfriends who lived in different time zones all around the world. But in Mumbai, I was always single and ready to mingle.

Your focus in life was...?

To gatecrash every Bollywood party for the free booze and free food, and to find people who would cast me in a film.

At rehearsals for the film Tezaab with co-actor Johnny Lever

Was your family supportive?

Both my parents are doctors who understood I could never take up their profession.

What was your fashion sense like in those days?

I used to dress in crazy colour combinations as that would elevate my mood.

The actor with his younger brother Chikki, pretending to talk on mobile phones while posing with cordless phones

What did you do for fitness?

I was a very restless soul with a curious mind who was always on a prowl, hunting, chasing. So, that naturally kept me very fit. But besides that, I used to swim two kms a day

And your most prized possession at age 22?

A purple colour Fiat Premier Padmini. Oh God, I loved that car!

The actor with Abu Malik in South America where they had gone for a show; (Inset) Chunky with his wife Bhavana and daughter Ananya, now a Bollywood actor

“At 22, my bank balance was minus zero, but I had many girlfriends…”

Your biggest dream then?

To work in a Manmohan Desai film!

The biggest lesson in life from that phase?

Anything that’s forced can never be right. If it doesn’t come naturally, let it go!

Chunky posing on a trip abroad with a Lamborghini, a car he wished to own some day

One thing you’d want to rewind and change about your 22 year old self…?

My insecurity for money. I just wanted to make more and more, I stopped short of selling myself. I mean, I had the potential to be luxury brand, but I landed up being a high street label!

From HT Brunch, September 27, 2020

Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch