Chunky Panday says his career ‘faded out’ when Ajay Devgn, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan made their debuts: ‘Enjoyed honeymoon for a year, then got lost’

“I remember going to the office of a very famous producer-director, who makes romantic films, and I was wearing a tank top. I was going there after my workout. He saw me and said, ‘I am not making Tarzan, you can go to B Subhash’s office.’ So, I was thrown out of offices like that. But I landed up getting my first film in the toilet of a five-star hotel, after three years of trying!”

The actor, who is currently awaiting the release of the Netflix film Vijay 69, starring Anupam Kher, reflected on his early career boom and the eventual dip. By the mid-90s, all the stars were slotted in different categories– while Ajay, Akshay Kumar and Sunny Deol were headlining action films, Shah Rukh Khan was the new romantic star, and Aamir was starring in humble dramas. Salman Khan, on the other hand, had found a blockbuster collaborator in Sooraj Barjatya.

Watch: Anupam Kher, Chunky Panday recall being mocked, ‘humiliated’ in Bollywood

“I got lost,” Chunky Panday said when asked about making a space for himself in the 1990s. “I came when the galaxy was exploding– 1986 was Govinda, I came in 87, the next year was Aamir, Salman came in 1989 and Ajay was in 1990. So, they just kept coming, these big superstars. I did get lost, and I enjoyed my honeymoon for exactly a year.  That whole year of 1988 was fantastic for me, and then, everything just faded out.”

The actor said, “too many people came in” at the time, but there was “no one to blame but myself”, for how his career panned out. He added, “I was that young blood who always wanted to keep working and was taking on any kind of work, trying to make money. Then, you can’t chart your career very well because your priorities become very different.

“But then again, there is also a lot of luck involved. If I had to re-live my life, I will still go through the same process because I have also enjoyed my ups and downs. Let me tell you, downs are also great. Nobody is watching you; you are not being judged when you are down– you can do anything,” he added.

Chunky Panday’s career got a new lease of life in 2010 when starred in the comedy role of Aakhri Pasta in Housefull. The actor is currently filming for the fifth instalment of the franchise, reprising his role.