EXCLUSIVE: On Qayamat’s 20th anniversary, Chunky Panday says, “It was a game-changer for me”; also BREAKS silence on if he’s a part of Housefull 5

By Fenil Seta -

July 13, 2023 - 6:30 PM IST

20 years ago, on July 11, Qayamat: City Under Threat (2003) was released in cinemas. The action entertainer might not have a huge recall value but was a decent hit then. Most importantly, the Harry Baweja-directorial marked the comeback of Chunky Panday into Bollywood. The actor, who rocked the show in the late 80s and 90s and was also a popular star in Bangladesh, turned into a character actor with this film. Moreover, he played a negative role, and it surprised audiences as he was usually seen in positive or comic characters.

EXCLUSIVE: On Qayamat’s 20th anniversary, Chunky Panday says, “It was a game-changer for me”; also BREAKS silence on if he’s a part of Housefull 5

Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to Chunky Panday on Qayamat’s 20th anniversary while he was in New York. Explaining why he decided to shift from Bangladesh and come back to the Hindi film industry, he said, “I got married there (in Bangladesh). Then I decided to come back. My wife (Bhavana Pandey) told me, ‘Now you have to work in Hindi movies’. Harry Baweja was the first one to give me a role during that phase. So, I’ll always be grateful to him. Ram Gopal Varma gave me D (2005) while Harry gave me Qayamat. It was a very interesting role. He told me, ‘The size of the role is not great. But it has got some very interesting scenes. Would you like to do it?’. I agreed as I was excited to take it up.”

Chunky continued, “I had a great time shooting it as we filmed in some beautiful locations like the Diu Fort. Harry was extremely supportive.”

What also worked in his favour was that it was his first comic role with negative shades. Chunky Panday agreed, “Yes. I totally changed my gears once I came back from Bangladesh. My whole career as a character actor started with this film. That way, Qayamat was a game-changer for me (smiles). Also, working with Ajay Devgn for the first time was a great experience. I have been friends with Sanjay Kapoor and Arbaaz Khan for a long time. Sanjay, in fact, was my first friend in the film industry. Hence, that made it a fun experience.”

When asked what feedback he got for his role, Chunky replied, “That film was a hit. I did get noticed. That was important for me as it was a multi-starrer. There were so many actors in the film.”

Besides Chunky Panday, Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Kapoor and Arbaaz Khan, Qayamat also starred Suniel Shetty, Isha Koppikar, Ashish Chowdhry and Riya Sen. Raveena Tandon starred in a special appearance in this film that also marked the Bollywood debut of Neha Dhupia.

He continued, “More than the industry, I got recognized by the public. That was quite exciting for me. Since I had gone to Bangladesh, there was a whole generation that had completely forgotten me. Qayamat, Apna Sapna Money Money (2006) and Housefull (2010) bought everything back for me!”

Qayamat is the story of a group of terrorists who kidnap hundreds of tourists in a tourist spot. They ask for ransom money and threaten that if their demands are not met, they will release a deadly virus in Mumbai. Interestingly, the virus angle in Shah Rukh Khan’s recent blockbuster Pathaan (2023) did give a déjà vu of Qayamat. When prodded, Chunky simply smiled and said, “It was made ahead of its time! It’s unbelievable. Only Harry could do it!”

Chunky Panday appeared in many memorable films in the last 20 years. However, his character of Aakhri Pasta in the Housefull series stands out. It is extremely funny and has achieved iconic status. Recently, Housefull 5 was announced by producer Sajid Nadiadwala. While Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh are confirmed, Chunky’s name wasn’t present in the announcement news.

When asked if he was going to be a part of it, Chunky Panday chose not to give a confirmed answer. He remarked, “When Housefull 5 gets made and if I play Aakhri Pasta, it’ll be the first time in the history of Indian cinema that a character will be played five times by the same actor!”

Not many are aware that Aakhri Pasta has been modelled on Sujit Kumar’s character, a flamboyant Italian agent, in Shakti Samanta’s The Great Gambler (1979). Chunky stated, “Yes. The character was indeed picked up from The Great Gambler. He was called Marconi (says it in Aakhri Pasta style). But I take only 1% credit for it. Sajid Khan, Sajid Nadiadwala, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and also Johny Lever contributed heavily to Pasta as they all loved the character.”

Several Aakhri Pasta fans have also demanded a spin-off film or show for the character. Chunky laughed at this point and also said, “You are not the first person. The makers have gone down that zone. What you are saying has been discussed before.”

Chunky Panday then wondered what a spin-off could actually show, and he came up with a crazy idea, “Imagine they show Aakhri Pasta was born with a moustache!” The actor laughed at his hilarious suggestion.

But then on a serious note, he explained why the Aakhri Pasta spin-off is not feasible, “Aakhri Pasta is there because Housefull is there. Without Housefull, there’s no Aakhri Pasta. You can make a Housefull without Aakhri Pasta. Aakhri Pasta has to be in Housefull. It can’t be otherwise.”

He then signed off assuring that he’ll be seen in multiple projects this year, “I have got two very big web shows and two web films releasing. I also had Pop Kaun earlier this year.”

Also Read: Ananya Panday enjoys special “Familia” dinner date in Ibiza with Chunky and Bhavana; see post