Chunky Panday is going bad, discovering his dark side. Thankfully, it is on the screen. He plays a ruthless don in the new web series Griha Laxmi. In a chat with HT, the actor likens his character to Kevin Spacey's iconic Keyser Soze from The Usual Suspects, talks about playing the villain, and why he chased filmmakers for roles. (Also read: Chunky Panday feels his career ‘faded out’ when Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan entered Bollywood)
Chunky Panday on Griha Laxmi
Chunky agrees that Griha Laxmi sounded like a 'women-oriented' show. He shares, "When they called me and told me they were making a show called Grihalaxmi, I thought it sounded like something Ekta Kapoor would make under the Balaji (Telefilms) banner. I asked them what are you making and are you sure you want me in this? Will I fit? Then, they gave me a narration, and I really liked it."
In Griha Laxmi, Chunky plays a don named Karim Kazi. "He is a lot like Keyser Soze from The Usual Suspects," says the actor, explaining, "He is like a rumour as you only hear about him. You are convinced nobody can be like that. In fact, Hina's (Khan) character on the show is a lot like Walter White from Breaking Bad. The world they have created is very good."
Having played romantic heroes or comic sidekicks in his four-decade career, playing baddies is new to Chunky. He admits, "For me, it was extra refreshing because I have a little Shaitaan hidden inside me. I think we all do. It's just we keep them quiet. I had never played a full-blown don on screen. The other villains that I played were associated with a bigger villain. They were fixers or sons of bad guys. This time, I am the big bad."
Chunky Panday on his Bollywood journey
{{/usCountry}}Having played romantic heroes or comic sidekicks in his four-decade career, playing baddies is new to Chunky. He admits, "For me, it was extra refreshing because I have a little Shaitaan hidden inside me. I think we all do. It's just we keep them quiet. I had never played a full-blown don on screen. The other villains that I played were associated with a bigger villain. They were fixers or sons of bad guys. This time, I am the big bad."
Chunky Panday on his Bollywood journey
{{/usCountry}}It has been a long journey on the screen that began in the '80s, says Chunky. He has seen his fair share of ups and downs. But he says matter-of-factly, "I don't regret anything in my life. I feel you should enjoy the journey. The fun is in this journey, this up-and-down roller coaster ride."
The actor says that he was able to reinvent himself with time as he actively chased filmmakers for good roles. He tells us, "I have been lucky that I have got these roles. But I have looked for these rolls. I hung around people who were making films like that and I chased them when I found out they had characters that I wanted to play. I was not scared to do two scenes in a film because people largely remember 2-3 scenes in a film. If you get one of those, you have that recall value with people. The audience has to remember you because one day, we will perish. Only our work will remain."
Griha Laxmi also stars Hina Khan, Rahul Dev, and Dibyendu Bhattacharya. It will premiere on Epic On on January 16.
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