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Chunky and Bhavana Panday's Whirlwind Romance: How It Happened One Night
A nightclub, a student, a movie star. How a chance meeting between 21-year-old Bhavana and 34-year-old Chunky Panday led to the commitment of a lifetime.
I had never felt like this before with anyone else,” declares actor Chunky Panday. “I was 34 when I met Bhavana for the first time, and very quickly I knew she was the girl I really wanted to get married to and be with for the rest of my life.” A missed flight, a short study break and a night out at the nightclub in Delhi’s Maurya Sheraton all played their part in bringing the two together in early 1996. “Meeting Chunky really was destiny,” says Bhavana, smiling.
Chunky was in New Delhi to judge the Miss India contest but missed his flight and ended up at the hotel nightclub. Bhavana, then studying for her final exams, had stepped out for a quick break with two friends. “I saw Chunky at the club and said hi, thinking I knew him, but actually, it was a familiar face because I had seen him as an actor. He said hi back — smiling graciously and flirtatious as ever.” And that was it.
The two of them recall their story with a simplicity and unassuming charm that is striking. After nearly 30 years of the highs and lows of a life in the spotlight — a solid friendship, a sense of humour and an instinct to keep showing up for each other has kept them together.
“I gave him my phone number but we went into the daily routine of our lives — I left India for my training and started flying for Lufthansa,” says Bhavana. Chunky continued to work in Hindi cinema, where he had made a name for himself. “We met again, almost nine months later. I used to keep flying to Mumbai and we kept meeting, whether it was with my crew or other friends — it was always very exciting when an actor took you out,” says the self-admitted outsider.
“No one knew us as boyfriend and girlfriend,” says Chunky. “I don’t think we ever really dated,” adds Bhavana, “I was just 21 when I met him and felt a very different connection because he came with a lot of maturity. He was sensitive and very composed in how he handled situations.” Chunky, on the other hand, was struck by a feeling he had never experienced before, “But I guess when you meet your soulmate or someone you’re meant to be with for the rest of your life — that’s what happens,” he says with a smile.
Marriage, movies and Mumbai
A few months later, at the Bali Hi restaurant in New Delhi, Chunky stole the mic — and the show — from a live band that was performing, sang the Police hit, “Every Breath You Take”, and proposed to Bhavana. In January 1998, the two tied the knot in Mumbai.
From that moment on, Bhavana became not just a part of Chunky’s life, but also — inevitably — part of the film world he inhabited. “When we got married, I was in one of the lowest phases of my career,” recalls Chunky, who had already made his mark in Hindi cinema with films like Zahreelay (1990) and Vishwatma (1992), alongside actors like Dharmendra and Sanjay Dutt. But the late ’90s marked a shift in Bollywood — the era of ensemble, multi-hero films was giving way to the rise of the solo leading man, and with it came a new kind of competition. “So, I had gone away to Bangladesh to do films over there,” he says. Hits like Swami Keno Asami (1997) had turned him into a household name there. “I had even taken Bhavana to Bangladesh as a part of our honeymoon,” Chunky laughs. “I remember Bhavana telling me, ‘It’s time to come back. You’re Chunky Panday — and you belong here [Bollywood].’”
For Bhavana, who had done her schooling in the Maximum City before moving to New Delhi — coming back to Mumbai had always been the dream. “How many people are fortunate enough to have a place in Mumbai that you can call home? And Chunky had such a great support system here,” says Bhavana. “Even during the lowest points of his career, he still had immense respect in the industry. So, when he decided to come back, I would always encourage him.” Bhavana’s clarity and quiet conviction anchored Chunky during uncertain times. “Bhavana has been my biggest mirror and my biggest critic. When you’ve already known and seen success, and you go back to struggling — it’s tough. So, you need a very strong, loving partner, who can really support you, and most importantly — who can laugh with you,” says Chunky. By the late ’90s and early 2000s, he had returned to Bollywood, and it was his role as the Indo-Italian character Aakhiri Pasta in the 2010 comedy hit Housefull that brought him his biggest success.
Looking back, Chunky admits that Bhavana adjusted to Mumbai — and his world — with ease. “For 35 years I was used to being alone. I did take a little more time to adjust,” he says. Bhavana had given up her job as a flight attendant. Coming from a family where both parents held corporate roles and education was deeply valued, she knew that further studies would follow. But around the time she met Chunky and they decided to get married, she found herself at a bit of a crossroads — unsure of her next steps, yet certain that marriage wouldn’t mean giving up her ambition of pursuing an MBA. “But what happened is that two months after we got married, I got pregnant with Ananya. That changed everything. I won’t call it challenging, but it was one of those moments that you don’t quite know what to do,” says Bhavana. Still, she felt content. “I was so happy in Mumbai. Chunky was working and I didn’t urgently need to start earning. And I think everything else played out beautifully in its own way. I took a little time to make new friends. Today, they’re my family.”
In their early years as a celebrity couple, the spotlight felt softer. Chunky and Bhavana were surrounded by family and other newly-wed couples, many of whom, like them, were still finding their footing. “I was a complete outsider and of course, I wanted to be accepted — everyone had their groups and friendships. And the thing is that this is a very glamorous world — you have to look a certain way at social events. Those kinds of things bothered me in the beginning. I would make sure I had the best look,” says Bhavana. She admits that even with those pressures, times were much simpler. “I was also very fortunate because all the girls who are my friends today — Seema [Sajdeh], Gauri [Khan], Maheep [Kapoor] — we all got married around the same time, and we had kids around the same time. And strangely, none of the girls are from film families. So, we were all figuring it out together,” she adds.
Living in the limelight
Unlike today, the media wasn’t omnipresent — navigating fashion faux pas at a party or an unsuccessful film only meant you had to try harder the next time. “We were very fortunate that we didn’t have social media or paparazzi in our lives,” Bhavana and Chunky say in sync. They’ve perhaps witnessed first-hand how the pressure today can feel relentless. “We could deal with a lot of things privately. If someone didn’t get a part, it was discussed among maybe 100-200 people within the industry. It was never billions of people involved and having an opinion of you,” says Bhavana.
Ananya, therefore, grew up amidst a comforting anonymity and remained largely out of the public eye. “I remember when Ananya was being launched, people were shocked that I had a daughter who was so grown up,” recalls Chunky. “No one really knew what she looked like, and she wasn’t public on Instagram. I think paparazzi culture blew up around the time when she made her debut.”
Ananya made her Hindi film debut at 17 with Student of the Year 2, produced by Karan Johar. Director Punit Malhotra had heard about her through friends and suggested an audition. When both Johar and Malhotra asked to meet Ananya — Bhavana and Chunky knew it was time to have the conversation. “She decided that she would give an audition — in fact, she was very sure that this is what she wanted to do. We didn’t want to interfere with that decision. She had seen her father — at times having no work, and having to kill his ego and meet producers to ask for work. Chunky was best friends with some of the top producers and directors — but that didn’t translate into getting work. She knew hard work was the only way,” says Bhavana. She and Chunky were clear that her journey had to be her own. “I don’t remember giving her any advice. If you ask me, she’s a born actor,” says Chunky — a glint of pride in his eyes.
It’s been over six years since her debut now and Ananya has made her mark in the industry with films such as Gehraiyaan (2022), Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (2023), and Kesari: Chapter 2 (2025). “She is very conscious about the roles she chooses. She discusses her scripts with me — more than she does with Chunky,” says Bhavana. “I am old school in my thinking,” Chunky reveals, “When she did Call Me Bae — I was a little hesitant. But I loved it after watching it.”
With Ananya now fully immersed in the spotlight, both Bhavana and Chunky say there’s always a sliver of worry that comes with watching your child navigate fame, public scrutiny, and the high-stakes world of showbiz. “My biggest fear was always whether my daughter would be accepted. Success comes later. In cinema, acceptance is the most important thing,” says Chunky reflectively. And in today’s world, that acceptance often comes hand-in-hand with an almost exaggerated visibility — where the media can be both validating and brutally unforgiving. “There’s so much being written out there — you can’t control it,” says Chunky. His advice? All news is good news. “I do feel bad for this generation — they’re walking on thin ice all the time. In my time, you could get away with murder. Now you can get photographed anywhere and you’re constantly under the microscope. Sometimes Bhavana has to tell me to behave myself,” he adds.
Bhavana admits that intense media attention and out-of-context headlines can take an emotional toll. “I used to get very affected when anything was written about my family. A wrong or a false media headline is a big responsibility — people get very influenced by what the media is writing today,” she says. But her on-screen debut with Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives (2020) ended up shaping her in ways she hadn’t anticipated, and she even ended up enjoying herself while facing the camera. “I was very apprehensive in the beginning because I’ve been quite a private person — my life was never out there. But Karan producing it, and shooting with my closest friends, gave me a lot of comfort. So, I was very conscious and nervous in season one, and with the last season, I’ve opened up much more. The beauty of the show is that it catches your true personality. It has made me a stronger person,” she says. “Chunky was always in the limelight, and then Ananya became part of the limelight. I was always watching from outside. Now I understand the media better — when I read something I know a lot of it is nonsense.”
Our house is like a sitcom
As the conversation draws to a close, their easy chemistry remains unmistakable. “As long as your health is good, all other problems will pass. The idea is to laugh together. And I think in our house — everything is like a sitcom. There’s always laughter,” says Chunky. Today, three decades later, their bond feels as effortless as it is enduring — built on shared values, and unwavering support. And if you look a little closer, you’ll see that for them, love is friendship. “As clichéd as it sounds, ‘pyaar dosti hai.’ You have fun together, you want to kill each other — but we never go to bed without making up after a fight, no matter how bad it is. And at the end of the day, you have your best moments together,” Bhavana sums it up.