Exclusive! Chunky Panday: I was ready to pay to act in Pop Kaun

Chunky Panday is back on OTT! This time, appearing in the new comedy web series Pop Kaun, directed by Farhad Samji. In the Disney+ Hotstar show, the actor is playing the role of the central character’s (Kunal Kemmu) father. Ahead of the release, Chunky opens up about what made him choose this show. 

When asked why he chose to be part of Pop Kaun, the actor promptly replied, “Oh, I did it for money!”, and then he laughed out loud with his signature one-liner, “I am joking!”

“As an actor, I believe that if there is a holy book of comedy films in Indian cinema, it is Amar Akbar Anthony. Here, my character’s name is also Anthony. But he is not Anthony Gonsalves, his name is Anthony Kam-salves! It’s a super fun character, and when Farhad bhai came to me with the script, I absolutely loved it,” Chunky told OTTplay, in an exclusive interview.

“I asked Farhad bhai how much money do I have to pay to bag the role? This is such a funny concept, where every father of Kunal Kemmu is so unique! And yeh toh kisi ke bhi baap ki tarha lagta nehi hain, I am saying we should do a DNA test,” quipped the actor.

Speaking about the cast - which also features Johnny Lever, with whom Chunky has worked before - he said it was a wonderful opportunity for him to reunite with his old friends. “I have worked with Kunal before. We did a web series together (referring to Abhay). I have also worked in so many films with Johnny bhai and the rest of the cast. This was the first time I worked with Nupur. But overall, we had a blast working on the show. It was like fireworks on set, like we celebrate Diwali! I hope the audience enjoys the show as much as we enjoyed making it,” Chunky added.

The actor is known for working in films like Housefull 3, Saaho, Housefull 4 and Apna Sapna Money Money among many others. Pop Kaun is also written by Farhad. It also stars Saurabh Shukla, Rajpal Yadav, Ashwini Kalsekar and the late Satish Kaushik. The series is all set to release on March 17 on Disney+ Hotstar.