'He had that fire': Chunky Panday on why he knew Shah Rukh Khan would be a star

Chunky Panday opened up Shah Rukh Khan's early days in Bollywood. The actor recalled how SRK and Gauri Khan would live in a rented flat

Shah Rukh Khan is a globally beloved movie star, and his fame soared even higher last year with the release of his three biggest hits: 'Pathaan,' 'Jawan,' and 'Dunki,' all in a row. Despite his immense success, SRK remains an outsider in the film industry. He honed his skills in Delhi's theatre scene before moving to Mumbai in the early '90s to pursue acting. Recently, fellow actor Chunky Panday shared insights into SRK's early days in the city of dreams.

Chunky Panday on Shah Rukh Khan's early days in Bollywood

In a conversation with Time Out with Ankit, Chunky Panday shared, “I think one of his first friends in Bombay when he arrived was my younger brother Chikki. They’re still the best of friends. So, at that time, they (Shah Rukh and Gauri) were renting a place and they used to come to meet my brother, sab baith ke video cassettes dekhte the (the would sit together and watch movies on video cassettes). So he and Gauri were in my house quite often.”

Chunky also shared that right from the start of their careers, he had a strong feeling that SRK would eventually become a superstar, “With Shah Rukh, I was so sure this boy is going to become a superstar. Because he had that in him, you can see that fire… He’s always had that. That talent has always been there with him before he became the superstar. So he’s very confident and he knew where he was going. I’m of course very proud that I’ve known him since then. He hasn’t changed.”

How Chunky Panday's daughter Ananya Panday is making him proud

Chunky Panday's daughter Ananya Panday has been carving out her own space in Bollywood. On the work front, Ananya Panday was last seen in the recently released 'Kho Gaye Hum Kahan'. Directed by newcomer Arjun Varain Singh, who also co-wrote it with Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, the film chronicles the lives of three twenty-something friends, Imaad (Siddhant Chaturvedi), Ahana (Ananya Panday) and Neil (Adarsh Gourav), as they explore the digital world and support one another in their search for authenticity amidst their virtual lives. Produced by Excel Entertainment’s Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar and Tiger Baby’s Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar, the film invites viewers to explore the complexities of online existence as a young adult.

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