She has been known as Chunky Panday’s wife and Ananya Panday’s mum, but after her reality TV series debut, Bhavana Pandey has got her own fan following.

“My Instagram DMs used to be full of messages like, ‘Ma’am, I’m a big fan of Ananya or Chunky but now those messages are, ‘Ma’am, we loved you’,” shares Bhavana. However, she admits that getting on board the series Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives was a tough call to take, and involved lengthy discussions with her family. “I’ve been a VJ and model in my early 20s but that age was different. Now, I’m Chunky’s wife and Ananya and Rysa’s mother. Suddenly putting myself out there for the world to judge you was a little scary,” she confesses.

Other than Bhavana, the show focuses on the lives of her friends, Neelam Kothari, Maheep Kapoor and Seema Khan, wives of Bollywood actors Samir Soni, Sanjay Kapoor and Sohail Khan respectively. “Having them around made the apprehensions slowly go away,” she adds. Asked if it means more on-screen ventures, she says, “I know I’ll not be able to act to save my life. Two actors are enough in the family.”

While the show received a mixed response, Bhavana has seen trolling at close quarters about her daughter, Ananya. “Initially, it used to affect me a lot. I agree they’re actors and should be open to criticism, but it should be constructive and meaningful,” she adds.