Chunky Panday reveals Shatrughan Sinha advised him to always arrive late, stay in the car if he was early: ‘No one will value you if…’

Chunky Panday recently shared a 'valuable piece of advice' he received from Shatrughan Sinha regarding 'punctuality' and its role in gaining respect in the industry.

By: Entertainment Desk

Kochi | February 11, 2025 01:59 PM IST

Chunky Panday recently shared a 'valuable piece of advice' he received from Shatrughan Sinha regarding 'punctuality' and its role in gaining respect in the industry.

Chunky Panday with Shatrughan Sinha in Zakham. (Express archive photo)

Despite being a complete outsider — the son of two medical practitioners — Chunky Panday managed to break into show business and carve out a space for himself. However, the journey was anything but easy and recently, he shared a ‘valuable piece of advice’ he received from actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha regarding ‘punctuality’ and its role in gaining respect in the industry. He also spoke about the influence of Dharmendra on his career.

“Shatru ji told me something very nice, which I follow to date. He said, ‘Son, whatever you do, never arrive on time anywhere. If you are punctual, no one will value you. Even if you happen to be early somehow, stay in the car for 15 minutes or so. Make people wait.’ That was the old-school method — people eagerly waiting for a star. Once the star arrives, what’s the point,” Chunky shared during a chat with Radio Nasha Official, recalling that Shatrughan Sinha was a close friend of his father, renowned heart surgeon Sharad Panday. It may be mentioned here that Chunky made his debut by playing a key role in the multi-starrer actioner Aag Hi Aag (1987), which featured Dharmendra, Moushumi Chatterjee and Shatrughan Sinha in the lead roles. His on-screen pairing in the movie was with Neelam Kothari.

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He also credited Shatrughan Sinha for teaching him the skill of memorising lines. “Even if he had 10 pages of dialogues, Shatru ji would go straight for takes without rehearsing, after reading them just once,” he shared. Speaking about Dharmendra, Chunky praised his dashing looks and revealed that he learned a great deal about body language from him.

Recalling his experience working with Bollywood’s Shahenshah Amitabh Bachchan in Insaniyat (1994), Chunky described it as dream-like. The movie, after significant delays, was released during a phase when Bachchan was semi-retired. “When Amit ji arrived on set on the first day of shoot in Film City, people went crazy. Although we were very nervous, he made us feel so comfortable by cracking jokes. There was so much energy and enthusiasm in him. It was after a long time that people were seeing him. I even forgot my lines while working with him,” Chunky shared, reminiscing about his admiration for Bachchan, whom he has been a fan of since childhood.

Chunky also admitted that, over time, he might have subconsciously begun adopting some of Bachchan’s mannerisms. “When you are such a big fan of someone, it’s only natural that their mannerisms come into your system. You will start looking and behaving like them eventually,” he observed, emphasising how deeply Bachchan has influenced his acting career.

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