Chunky Panday feels his career ‘faded out’ when SRK and Salman entered Bollywood

It has been over 33 years since Chunky Panday walked into Bollywood. Now, in a recent interview, the actor shared that his popularity started fading away when stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Govinda, and Ajay Devgn. Also read: ‘People had forgotten me, I could not keep my success’: Chunky Pandey
In an interview with SCREEN, Chunky looked back at his career and how he overcame challenges.
Chunky was asked about making a space for himself in the 1990s. To which, he said, “I got lost. 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 feels too many people came in at the time, but he doesn’t blame anyone but himself for how his journey has been.
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”.
Chunky’s career trajectory involves 33 years in Hindi cinema. He has seen quite a few highs and drastic lows in his career. While he started off as a solo hero in the 80s and 90s, he was soon playing the second lead. The actor famously delivered a blockbuster Aankhen in 1993 with Govinda, hoping that he would be swamped with work and realised that on the contrary, work just dried up.
He made his debut with Pahlaj Nihalani’s Aag Hi Aag, following it up with projects such as Tezaab, Khatron Ke Khiladi, and Paap Ki Duniya.
His career got a new lease of life in 2010 when he 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.