Chunky Panday opens up about his long-lasting friendship and relationship with Shah Rukh Khan in an exclusive conversation with Lehren. He also discusses the dynamic relationship between their families. After providing an intriguing explanation of his Kanjoos Tag, the Aag Hi Aag actor shares a humorous anecdote about his early days smoking cigarettes. In addition, Chunky brings back some nostalgic memories by discussing his well-known New Year's Parties, which were attended by every Bollywood star.
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00:00You know, you and all your friends, Shah Rukh and the whole lot of you, when you've been
00:05going out for holidays, I know you're one person who never went and stayed in anybody's
00:09house.
00:10You used to book yourself into a hotel and stay.
00:13Isn't that true?
00:14Whether it's Dubai or wherever?
00:15I mean, yeah, I mean, of course, and but I think Bhavna and all have all stayed with
00:20all of them.
00:21In Shah Rukh's house.
00:22Shah Rukh's house in London and in Dubai.
00:25But I've also stayed there a couple of times, but yeah, of course, I'd like to stay in hotels.
00:31I like to stay in hotels because it's not because I would love to stay in someone's
00:35house, but I'm so dirty, I mess up my room so much that the towel is here and there,
00:41that someone will throw me out of the house in a day, including my own house.
00:46So I have to be in a place where they do housekeeping twice a day.
00:49I'm not dirty as to, I mean, I love messing up a place.
00:53So I try not to stay with people, but I've stayed in their houses and he's got a lovely
00:59house in London, got a lovely house in Dubai and I'm so proud of him because I've literally
01:04seen him the day he came to Bombay and he's done so well.
01:08But when Shah Rukh first came to Bombay, he was more Chikki's friend, your brother's friend.
01:12He's always been Chikki's friend.
01:13But gradually after Bhavna came in, how come all of you have become friends?
01:18No, he's always been Chikki and still he's Chikki's friend.
01:21It's just the wives became friends and then the kids became friends and that's how we...
01:26You became a gang?
01:27I mean, yeah, you hang around at times and basically he's Chikki's friend and still he's
01:34Chikki's friend.
01:35Because Shah Rukh and you have not even done too many films together, maybe just one Dawn
01:40or something.
01:41Dawn, yeah, I've done the opening of Dawn with him, yeah, we don't work, we've not done
01:44films together.
01:45Yeah.
01:46You know what he's done, what he's made of everything around him, he's just had the Midas
01:53touch and it's been brilliant.
01:55So these are kind of things I keep telling Ananya, I tell her stories of this, not that
02:03today everything's available on the internet, but you know what it is to be, to create something
02:10and you know the kind of, what do you say, the kind of drive, you need that and a bit
02:17of luck.
02:18And always, yeah, yeah.
02:20But in Shah Rukh's case, I mean, we've all seen where, you know, from the time he came
02:24to what he's built.
02:25Yeah, yeah.
02:26It's an entire empire he's built.
02:28People won't be able to do it in a hundred lifetimes, what he's done.
02:30Exactly, exactly.
02:31Good job.
02:32Well done.
02:33That's right, yeah.
02:34Well done.
02:35But I'm surprised that Shah Rukh and the Pandey's are so close.
02:38I mean, I never thought when he first came that this would be the group.
02:43Yeah, it's just, that's why I'm saying it all became because of the families.
02:47Families.
02:48Yeah, the kids.
02:49The girls actually, the women got together.
02:50The women, the girls and yeah.
02:52And in fact, he was telling me the other day that, I think in some interview or something
02:57he mentioned that when he used to come to my house, I had all these cassettes of mine
03:01lying on the films I had done and he just wanted to do so many films or maybe a little
03:05more than those.
03:06And he ended up doing much, much more.
03:10So he's come to our house when he just came to Mumbai and as I said, from where to where,
03:16so it's incredible.
03:17At one time, your house was very famous for those New Year's Eve parties.
03:22Yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:23You do, your parents, you, all of you used to host them and the whole of Bandra used
03:27to be here.
03:29Everybody used to come and there would be even…
03:30It was traditionally started, father started it, then I took over.
03:35And then I used to have a feast, used to have four, five hundred people.
03:39That's right.
03:40That's right.
03:41But gradually you stopped that, isn't it?
03:42Marriage, yeah.
03:43And then Ananya once had a damn good New Year party here in Bandra.
03:46And I said, darling, do it every year.
03:48But then you know how kids are, they want to go away and stuff.
03:51Because once you do a New Year party, you have to traditionally do it every year.
03:55Yeah, yeah.
03:56That's right.
03:57When you, families have got together and you're holidaying together, especially during Christmas,
04:02New Year, etc.
04:04Has that stopped now that Ananya has become busy and everybody's becoming busy?
04:07No, I think kids grow up and then…
04:10It's like your kids are with you till that, you know, till 15, 16.
04:13After that, the kids want to do their own things.
04:16In fact, now we went to Dubai with Raisa because Raisa came to India for holidays.
04:22So we took her to Dubai for the New Year.
04:25But I know next year Raisa will also not come, she'll want to be somewhere else.
04:29So you have to bribe them and want them to be with you.
04:32Life changes.
04:33Life changes, yeah.
04:34Once the kids have gone, then you have to do your own stuff.
04:39So considering some of the mistakes you made, did you caution Ananya about any of them?
04:46So I've always told her, never overestimate anyone.
04:52Because if she made a hit film with someone else, it's not necessary he'll make it with you too.
04:59And don't underestimate anyone.
05:01If someone is going through a low phase, don't write him off.
05:04Give everyone an equal playing field.
05:06Take that decision yourself.
05:08That you should really want to do this subject or be in this film.
05:11Don't go by reputation.
05:12Of course, reputation is important.
05:14But don't write off a person with a hit and a flop because anything can happen in this industry.
05:19One Friday can change.
05:20Everything can change.
05:21You've seen it, Parthi.
05:22I've seen it so much.
05:24So that's the only thing.
05:25And I've always told her, be well-mannered.
05:26And even today, wherever I go, when people tell me, you met your daughter and she's so well-mannered.
05:31For me, that's the proudest feeling that my children, at least what we taught them to
05:36be mannerful to people, that's the best a parent can do for the child, is teach good manners.
05:44Like my father always told me, he said, what you can afford, expect that from your producer.
05:52What you can't afford, don't expect him to give you that.
05:54Like if you fly in business class, don't expect him to give you a first class ticket.
05:58My father always told me that.
05:59You used to practice that for a long time, didn't you?
06:01I still do.
06:02I have a lifestyle and that's the lifestyle I expect.
06:07So I've never asked for anything more because I'm going on someone else's experience here.
06:13Because I noticed that.
06:14I remember at one time, he used to tell me, I fly business class and even if our friend's
06:19children are flying first class, when all of you used to go for your holidays together,
06:23You used to say, we are going business class, that's it.
06:26I'm not going to be, you know, just trying to be like the others.
06:30It's not trying.
06:31I mean, you have to, it's not, no one's trying.
06:33I mean, people, you can fly what you can afford.
06:36I mean, people have charter planes, people fly first class.
06:40Now it's fast first class only.
06:42When I can finally afford it, it's shut.
06:45Dirty shit.
06:46It's not, I would love to sit in first class, but Ananya has to say, Dad, I want to sit
06:51in first class.
06:52I said, you sit when you can afford a ticket.
06:54You can afford it.
06:55Now she can.
06:56Now, now you need chartered flights.
06:58Now it's no longer.
06:59No, no.
07:00She's very happy with it.
07:01If there is no first class in India, I think besides Emirates, no one else is flying first
07:05class.
07:06That's true.
07:07Yeah, yeah.
07:08But I did notice this about you, for all your, you know, I find you very grounded in a lot
07:12of ways.
07:13Am I?
07:14Yes.
07:15I think I'm stupid.
07:16Oh, why?
07:17I may be grounded, but I'm, I don't know, I think there's a little child in me that's
07:22not died yet.
07:24And I feel that should never die because all actors should, you know, it's, of course,
07:29people are sharp.
07:30I'm not that sharp, but I just like to keep my innocence and, you know, be as, as young
07:35as possible.
07:37The only thing that will keep me going.
07:38But you're a very good businessman.
07:39I've noticed.
07:40You think so?
07:41Yes.
07:42I mean, the properties you have invested in and…
07:45I've been lucky.
07:46You've been lucky.
07:47Okay.
07:48You used to call yourself a big miser at one time.
07:50You made the maximum jokes about your own miserliness.
07:53My own miserliness.
07:54Yeah.
07:55It's good jokes to make.
07:56Good jokes.
07:57Yes, yes.
07:58And I should be left out.
07:59No one is talking about me.
08:00Let's become a miser so that a few people can joke about me.
08:04But I've noticed you're not really a miser.
08:07You think I'm Pennywise Pound foolish?
08:09Okay.
08:10But I'm not.
08:12In those days, everyone used to smoke a cigarette and everyone had to quit smoking.
08:19So, what used to happen was that no one would bring a cigarette for the shooting.
08:22I didn't want to quit smoking, so I used to bring a cigarette.
08:25So, everyone used to break into my packet.
08:27So, I found out that four or six packets were finished in a day because everyone had
08:31quit smoking.
08:32Give me one.
08:33Give me one.
08:34After that, I started that I won't give cigarettes to anyone.
08:36That's where my miserliness started.
08:37Okay.
08:38So, I did something to save people's lives by not giving them cigarettes.
08:42So, what I used to do is I used to keep two packets.
08:46I used to put one cigarette in one packet and I used to tell the spot boy to keep the
08:51full packet in his pocket.
08:52When I asked for it, he used to give me the single cigarette packet so that no one else
08:56would ask.
08:57Okay.
08:58Because everyone used to smoke in the shooting.
09:00Because everyone had quit smoking.
09:02It was a great fad in those days.
09:03We quit smoking.
09:04Yes.
09:06That's true.
09:07So, that is how it started.
09:10Okay.
09:11Otherwise, no, I am not.
09:12Yeah, you are not.
09:13Not.