Bollywood / Didn't force Ananya to get into films: Chunky on nepotism

Bollywood Desk: As sparks fly from both sides of Bollywood about the nepotism debate, actor Chunky Panday says he’s rather surprised to hear words like ‘insiders and outsiders’, something he has never heard before, in his four-decade long career.

“I don’t even know how this term insider and outsider have come into place. The moment you sign a film, you become an insider. It’s your first assignment that makes you an insider. From what I can tell you is that the equation of the industry has not changed. It’s is an equal playing field. You’ve to have a huge amount of luck and then things will fall in place,” shares Chunky, adding that there surely will be ups and downs.

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Sunday Brunch with my women 😍🤩🥂💃

A post shared by Chunky Panday (@chunkypanday) on Mar 8, 2020 at 3:38am PDT

And whenever the nepotism debate reignites, his daughter, Ananya Panday has, come in the line of fire of trolls.

“If my daughter chose to get into films, it’s her prerogative, I’ve not forced her. I wanted to become a doctor. I couldn’t become one. My father was a renowned heart surgeon and my mother was doctor. I must confess that I tried. And I just couldn’t succeed. Then I became an actor. Kids today decide what they want to do. I hope and pray that they succeed. That’s all I can do,” the 57-year-old says. 

However, Chunky admits that as a parent, it does bother him when his daughter is attacked and it does “get too much” at times.

“Of course it is sad. When I came into the film industry, it was said that someone had recommended me and that’s how I got into films. It was a huge thing back then. I remember. But you’ve to live with it. You can’t get into an argument about it,” says Chunky.

The actor further asserts that one has to keep proving themselves and be successful. “Not everyone can handle that… I could not. I arrived at such a big platform, started with two blockbusters but then things started sliding down. This is how everyone’s story works,” he recounts. 

Nevertheless,Chunky, who’s soon going to make his digital debut with Abhay 2, says that actors now have it far easier than what he had to face in his time.

“In our time, we had to go the long way — shoot portfolios, show them to directors and producers. It was very tough for us. There were no casting directors. You had to get from one office to another to meet people. Now with social media, you can become famous and then you are cast in films. This is the golden era for anyone trying to get into business,” he concludes.