Chunky Panday

Chunky Panday
Panday in 2012
Born
Suyash Panday

(1962-09-26) 26 September 1962 (age 61)
OccupationActor
Years active1987–present
Spouse
Bhavana Panday
(m. 1998)
Children2; including Ananya Panday
Parent
RelativesChikki Panday (brother)

Suyash Panday (born 26 September 1962), better known by his stage name Chunky Panday, is an Indian actor who works in Bollywood films. He has appeared in over 100 films in a career that has spanned over three decades.

His most successful films in Hindi were in the period 1987-1994. After the failure of his Hindi films as lead hero since 1994, his career in Hindi films faded away. He then worked in Bangladeshi cinema from 1995 and most of his films in Bangladesh were successful. He has been acting as a character actor since 2003 in Hindi films.

He is the father of actress Ananya Panday.

Early life

Panday was born as Suyash Panday on 26 September 1962 in Bombay. He has a brother Chikki Panday, a businessman.

Career

Panday worked as an instructor in acting school in 1986. He used to be senior to many junior budding artists such as Akshay Kumar.

1987–1993: Debut and early success

Panday with David Dhawan and Govinda

Panday debuted his acting career with the 1987 multi-starer film Aag Hi Aag opposite Neelam Kothari. Film producer Pahlaj Nihalani gave Panday his first break in 1987 by signing him up for two films, his debut film and Paap Ki Duniya. His second successful film was Paap Ki Duniya with Sunny Deol and Neelam. Subsequently, Panday appeared in many multi-hero films from 1987 to 1993. In 1988, Panday was appreciated for his supporting role in N. Chandra's film Tezaab featuring Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. Panday played the character of Babban, Munna's (Anil Kapoor) friend. For his performance in Tezaab, Panday was nominated for the Filmfare Award for the Best Supporting Actor.

Since then he has appeared in many films with mixed success throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Most of his films where he had the leading role did not fare well at the box office from 1992.[citation needed] In most films, he was cast in supporting roles to senior actors like Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dutt. Some of those hit films with him in second lead, are Paap Ki Duniya (1988), Khatron Ke Khiladi (1988), Ghar Ka Chiraag (1989), Nakabandi, Zahreelay (1990), Rupaye Dus Karod, Vishwatma (1992), Lootere (1993) and Aankhen (1993). His solo hit was Parda Hai Parda (1992).

1994–2003: Career slump and hiatus

The advent of the 1990s saw a new wave of actors like Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan taking on roles as "romantic heroes", while Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Ajay Devgan grabbed the "action hero" roles. Panday found it difficult to slot himself in either category. In addition, by the late nineties, solo-hero films were back in vogue instead of the multi-hero films in which Panday was generally cast and Panday was not seen as a marketable hero for solo hero films.[citation needed]

Panday grew increasingly tired of playing second fiddle to more prominent actors, but had difficulty being seen as marketable, other than supporting household names. "I was offered hero ke bhai ka (lead actor's brother) roles," he said. "I (told them), 'Boss, not happening.'" Due to a lack of work in Bollywood, he moved to act as hero in Bangladesh films. In 1995, he was offered his first films as the lead hero in Bangladeshi films. He acted in six films between 1995 and 1997 as hero in Bangladesh and all of them were successful. Between 1997 and 2002, he received minimal work in Bollywood, playing supporting roles in low-budget films like Tirchhi Topiwale, Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan, Kaun Rokega Mujhe and Jwalamukhi.

2003 to present: Return to Bollywood

Panday returned to Bollywood in 2003 playing minor supporting roles in Qayamat: City Under Threat, Elaan, Don: The Chase Begins Again, Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost and Apna Sapna Money Money.

In 2005, he played an underworld gangster in the Ram Gopal Varma film D – Underworld Badshah. Later, director Ram Gopal Varma roped him in for Darwaaza Bandh Rakho, a dark comedy thriller in which he played one of four robbers who hold a family hostage.

Between the years of 2006 to 2010, Panday would star in small comedic roles, settling into a reputation of being comic relief. The role that earned him the most success was playing the character of Indo-Italian "Aakhiri Pasta" in the 2010 comedy hit Housefull. His catchphrase from the movie that is often quoted is an accented "I'm-a joking!" His role was so memorable that he reprised the role in the sequels Housefull 2 in 2012, Housefull 3 in 2016 and in Housefull 4 in 2019.

In regards to his film selection since returning to acting in Bollywood, Panday has stated that he prefers not to play a hero nowadays because there is less pressure on him if the film fails and it's much more fun playing interesting characters and showing his range.

While Panday's second stint in Bollywood has mainly consisted of starring as a character actor, he doesn't want to be pigeonholed into only doing comic roles. "I don't think I am restricting myself to doing only comedy. I am hoping that someone offers me something else... It requires a lot of guts for someone to cast me in something else. I am just hoping that someone sees something else in me other than comedy."

This hope was realised with Panday starring as villains in the films Begum Jaan, Prassthanam, Saaho, Sardar and web series Abhay.

Personal life

Panday married Bhavana Panday in January 1998. They have two daughters, Ananya, an actress, and Rysa.

Filmography

Films

Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Film Role Notes
1987 Aag Hi Aag Vijay Singh
1988 Paap Ki Duniya Inspector Vijay
Gunahon Ka Faisla Sheroo
Khatron Ke Khiladi Mahesh
Tezaab Babban
Agnee Babla
1989 Ustaad
Paanch Paapi
Mitti Aur Sona Vijay Bhushan
Kasam Vardi Kee Ajay Singh
Ghar Ka Chiraag Ravi
Na-Insaafi Sonu
Gola Barood Vijay
Zakham
1990 Zahreelay Raju Verma
Naakabandi Raja Singh
Atishbaaz
Aaj Ke Shahenshah
Tadap
1991 Kohraam
Do Matwale Amar
Rupaye Dus Karod Suraj
Khilaaf Vikram 'Vicky' Veerpratap Singh
Jeevan Daata Shankar
1992 Parda Hai Parda Vijay
Sone Ki Lanka Rohit
Naseebwaala Amar
Kasak
Vishwatma Akash Bhardwaj
Khule-Aam Surya
Apradhi Salim/Ravi
1993 Aankhen Ranjeet (Munnu)
Lootere Ali
Police Wala Jimmy/CBI Officer Jagmohan
Aakhri Chetawani
1994 Gopalaa Major Anand (Gopaala)
Insaniyat Hariharan
Bollywood Ashok
Teesra Kaun? Vijay Verma
1997 Kaun Rokega Mujhe
Bhoot Bhungla Amar
Swami Keno Ashami Shaan/Biplob Bangladeshi film
1998 Meyerao Manush Rony Bangladeshi film
Tirchhi Topiwale Anand
1999 Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan Chali D'Souza
2000 Jwalamukhi Police inspector Bhola
2001 Kasam Fugitive
2003 Qayamat: City Under Threat Gopal
Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost Ajay singh
2004 Phool Aur Pathor Bangladeshi-India joint venture film
Prem Korechi Besh Korechi Rana Bangladeshi film
2005 Elaan Salim
D Raghav
Ssukh Rakesh Verma
2006 Apna Sapna Money Money Rana Jang Bahadur
Darwaaza Bandh Rakho Raghu
Don: The Chase Begins Again T.J special appearance
I See You Akshay 'AK' Kapoor
2007 Fool N Final Rocky
Om Shanti Om as himself (special appearance)
2008 Hello Darling Rocky
2009 Ek: The Power of One Balli
Paying Guest Ronnie
Sankat City Sikandar Khan dual role
Daddy Cool Harry
Shortkut Guru Kapoor
De Dana Dan Nonny Chadda
2010 Click Manu Sharma
Housefull Aakhri Pasta
Tees Maar Khan Himself
2011 Ready special appearance
Rascals Bhagat Bhulabhai Chouhan (BBC)
2012 Housefull 2 Aakhri Pasta
Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum Baba 3G
Hum Hai Raahi Car Ke Khukhri Thapa / Paaji
2013 Bullett Raja Lallan Tiwari
Himmatwala Michael Jaikishan
2014 Gang of Ghosts Gulab Chand
Humshakals Bijlani
2016 Housefull 3 Aakhri Pasta
Badman
2017 Begum Jaan Kabir
2019 Saaho Devraj Simultaneously shot in Telugu
Prassthanam Bajwa Khatri
Housefull 4 Pehli Pasta/Aakhri Pasta
2020 Jawaani Jaaneman Rajender Sharma aka Rocky
Vikun Tak Abdul Lathif
2022 Nayika Devi The Warrior Queen Muhammad Ghori Gujarati film debut
Liger Pandey Simultaneously shot in Telugu
Sardar Maharaj Rathore Tamil film

Web series

Year Title Role Platform(s) Notes
2020 Abhay Harsh
2022 Baked Season 3: The Bad Trip Himself
2023 Pop Kaun? Anthony Gonsalves

Awards and nominations

Year From Award Film Result
1989 Filmfare Awards Best Supporting Actor Tezaab Nominated
2007 Best Performance in a Comic Role Apna Sapna Money Money Nominated
IIFA Awards Best Performance in a Comic Role Nominated
2013 Housefull 2 Nominated
Zee Cine Awards Best Actor in a Comic Role Nominated
2021 Invertis University Honorary Doctorate Won

This page was last updated at 2023-11-16 09:11 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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