Govinda and Chunky Pandey are an absolute delight in the fourth episode of Too Much With Kajol and Twinkle. They walked down memory lane, recalling some of the craziest and funniest anecdotes from the ’90s.
Namrata Thakker recaps the best moments.
Ardent Fan of Rajesh Khanna
Before any questions are fired, Govinda starts the episode by telling Twinkle Khanna that he is the biggest fan of her late father Rajesh Khanna. He feels no actor will ever come close to him even in the future.
Chunky agrees and recalls how he used to visit Rajesh Khanna’s bungalow Aashirwad back in the days: ‘Hum log Kakaji ke ghar jate the to watch video films, kyunki purre Hindustan mein khali do video player the, ek Kakaji ke ghar pe tha.’
When Chunky Tried To Ruin Govinda’s Movie
‘One of his (Govinda) movies was supposed to be a superhit. So I purchased the tickets from the black market and sold them at half the price to ruin the movie’s image and its collection,’ Chunky narrates to Kajol and Twinkle’s disbelief.
Govinda’s Loss, Chunky’s Gain
Despite his mother Dr Snehlata Pandey knowing virtually everyone in the industry, Chunky said he struggled for a few years before bagging his debut film.
‘I wanted to become an actor, but there was no actor in my family. Yes, my maternal uncle used to do character roles. But I struggled for four-five years for my first movie. If I have been able to come to the film line, it is because of Govinda.’
Govinda explains: ‘I left the movie which he got.’
Chunky tells the story: ‘I bumped into Pahlaj Nihalani in a bathroom and that’s where my career started.’ Read the whole story here.
‘Pahlaj did Ilzaam with Govinda, which was a superhit. He wanted to work with him again but Govinda got very busy. So he offered me the film and I did it.’
How Govinda Became A Star
Though Govinda had a blockbuster debut, he said top producers and directors were not willing to work with him. Most of them were only making films with Amitabh Bachchan and Mithun Chakraborty.
‘I took all the new producers with me to the South and showed them those films. They were selling their rights and I told them to buy it. We came back and made those movies and all of them were hits,’ he says.
Chunky-Govinda’s US Tour
Both actors recalled a hilarious incident from the ’90s involving a US tour.
Govinda said when he arrived in the US, he saw shoes everywhere and no Chunky. When he phoned Chunky about it, the latter said that he wasn’t coming because he didn’t receive any payment.
Chunky added that once he was called for an event and was asked to wear white clothes by the organiser. When he showed up at the venue, he released it was someone’s funeral. And he even got paid for it.
The Amitabh Bachchan of Bangladesh
Chunky is known as the Amitabh Bachchan of Bangladesh, and he narrates how that happened.
‘I was on the way to Hong Kong. The plane’s engine acted up, and we had to halt at Dhaka. After landing, we exited and I randomly met a producer. He asked if I wanted to do a Bangladeshi movie and I said yes. I started shooting for it after coming back from Hong Kong. All my films worked and I even turned producer in Bangladesh. Those years were really good,’ he says.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
