Ananya Panday’s father Chunky Panday admits that he wanted her to focus on achieving stardom first; ‘I used to quarrel with him because…’

Ananya Panday is one of the most acclaimed actresses in the industry today, and it’s clear that her skills have been inherited from her family. With time, she showcased her talent and established her position as an actress. Now, her father Chunky Pandey has revealed that ‘he always had a fight with his daughter for focusing on achieving stardom before becoming a mainstream actor.’

In a recent conversation with Mid Day, Chunky Panday admitted that, based on his instincts, he initially wanted his daughter Ananya Panday to give priority to achieving stardom. However, now that he is being praised for his performances in projects like CTRL and Call Me Bay, he is glad he has been proven wrong.

She said, “I used to fight with her because I thought she should do (mainstream) cinema and she used to say, ‘Dad, I want to be an actor.’ I used to reply, ‘You become an actor later, you become a star first.’ Now, I’m realizing that maybe she was right.”

Earlier this year, Chunky appeared on Cyrus Broacha’s podcast, Cyrus Says, where he discussed his career. He mentioned that he is currently experiencing a phase of what he called “reverse nepotism”.

He explained that while nepotism usually results in children of actors becoming actors themselves, he has noticed that ever since his daughter became a star, she is getting a lot of work.

Best known for his role as the last pasta in the Housefull comedy franchise, he expressed his surprise and joy at the increased attention, saying that it makes him very proud. Chunky admitted that he never enjoyed his success as much as they did, perhaps because he was too busy during his rise to fame.

Ananya and Chunky Panday starred together in the 2022 film Liger, where Chunky played her father. Reflecting on their collaboration, the 61-year-old actor shared that they were trying to outdo each other, but stressed that she will always be his little girl and he will always have the advantage.

A few years ago, Ananya in an interview with IANS had expressed her admiration for her father’s long film career, saying that he has worked hard to establish himself and earn respect in the industry. She expressed pride in being his daughter and said that she had no reason to be ashamed of it.