Chunky Panday and Bhavana Pandey, married since 1998, faced challenges convincing Bhavana’s father due to Chunky’s ‘Casanova’ image. They met at a nightclub, and Chunky proposed in Delhi.
Chunky Panday and Bhavana Pandey got married in 1998.
Chunky Panday and Bhavana Pandey have always been open about the ups and downs in their relationship. The couple, who got married in 1998, faced their fair share of challenges before tying the knot — especially when it came to convincing Bhavana’s father. In a recent chat with Radio Nasha Official, Bhavana revealed that her father was hesitant about their marriage due to Chunky’s ‘Casanova’ image.
Bhavana recalled how she first came across Chunky long before they met in person. “I was born in 1974, so I was 13 years old when the film released. I had seen his pictures from an ad in a magazine before that. And, there was a girl who used to live in my building in Mumbai, who also wanted to become an actress,” she shared, referring to his 1987 film Aag Hi Aag.
Revealing how she ended up with his poster on her bedroom wall, she added, “She and Chunky were in the same acting class. She had a crush on him and she brought his poster back. I said, ‘He is so good looking’ and I put the poster in my room on the wall. I always thought he was a very good looking guy.”
Their first meeting, however, happened years later, and it was pure coincidence. “We met at a nightclub for the first time. My final exams of college were going on in Delhi. We decided to sneak out of the house for a few hours just for a break. That’s where I saw Chunky. We were 3-4 girls together and he said, ‘Hi’. He must be saying it to all the girls I am assuming, I said it back and walked away thinking that I knew him,” Bhavana remembered.
She added, “Actors weren’t easily seen at that time, we had no social media, it was a different world. As soon as we went ahead, we talked about it that we saw Chunky Panday. We came back and then we chatted a bit. I had seen him on screen, never in person. He was very charming, we all even danced together. Then, he asked me for my phone number and my dad was very strict. I gave him the wrong phone number, the landline which never used to work. I was so scared of my father picking up the phone call.”
Bhavana shared that Chunky was the one who proposed. Since she often traveled to Frankfurt for work as a flight attendant, staying in touch was difficult as there were no mobile phones and international calls were expensive. She said, “We went for dinner in Delhi once, it’s where we met the first time. We were just talking normally and he suddenly said that I am buying tickets to come to see you wherever you go, let’s save money and get married. This was his line.”
Chunky Panday and Bhavana Panday are parents to two daughters – Ananya Panday and Rysa Panday.
