Chunky Pandey was last seen in Sajid Nadiadwala's Housefull 3 as Aakhri Pasta, the owner of an Italian restaurant. The film had just released when the 53-year-old-actor known for his impeccable comic timing, decided to audition for a role he'd never been seen in before. He was hoping to bag the role of the baddie, originally called Kabir, in Begum Jaan, Srijit Mukherji's Bollywood debut based on his 2015-Bengali post-Partition period drama, Rajkahini.

“The ADs were in splits because they had seen Housefull 3 just the previous night and didn't think I could play anyone so evil and gut-wrenchingly ugly. I did the audition without much hope of bagging the role but a few days later, I was called over by Srijit,“ Chunky recalls. Srijit told Chunky that he'd have to shave off his identifiable locks. “He marched me into a barber's shop. I came out bald and when I reached home my wife (Bhavna) screamed and ordered me out of our bedroom for the next two weeks. She wouldn't even look at me till I looked like the normal Chunky,“ he reminisces with a laugh, adding that there is a scene in the film where his villainous character kills the Begum's pet dog and has it served to the ladies of the brothel who even savour it till they learn the truth. “That's definitely going to alienate my daughter who's a complete dog-lover. But it's a side to my acting, no one has seen before.“

Jisshu Sengupta played the role in the original and though Chunky has only seen the trailer of Rajkahini and a few rushes online, he'd like to have a long chat with the Bengali actor on the role. He admits that he was strictly forbidden from watching the original, and a lot has changed in the Hindi remake, with Vidya Balan stepping in for Rituparna Sengupta. “Vidya will do complete justice to the film, she's the madam after all,“ he asserts, but complains about mosquitoes and the scorpion that bit him during the gruelling Jharkhand schedule and filming through thunderstorms.

Chunky who was the leading man of Aag Ki Aag, Paap Ki Duniya and Aankhen has no issues auditioning for roles. “I look up to actors like Paresh Rawal and Shakti Kapoor, who have an outstanding body of work. I'm hungry for great work. I auditioned for the role of Alia Bhatt's father in Shaandaar but was flatly told that I looked too young to play her dad,“ he reveals, adding that even though he had two scenes in Tehzaab, it continues to be one of his most memorable roles. “Next, I want to go down South and act in a few Tamil and Telugu films. The content seems outstanding. Baahubali was spectacular!“ he signs off.