Chunky Panday has opened up about his long-standing bond with superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The actor recently appeared on Timeout With Ankit and spoke about SRK's earlier days in Mumbai. During his conversation, Chunky Panday revealed that there was a time when Shah Rukh Khan was living with his wife, interior designer Gauri Khan, in a rented house. The actor said, “I think one of his first friends in Bombay when he arrived was my younger brother Chikki [Panday]. They're still the best of friends. So, at that time, they (Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan) were renting a place and they used to come to meet my brother, sab baith ke video cassettes dekhte the. So he and Gauri were in my house quite often.”
Chunky Panday added that he always believed that Shah Rukh Khan would “become a superstar”. He added, “With Shah Rukh, I was so sure this boy is gonna 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 mean, yeah, of course very proud that I've known him since then. He hasn't changed.”
Before this, Chunky Panday's daughter, actress Ananya Panday, revealed that she spent a lot of time at Shah Rukh Khan's house during her childhood. In an interview with No Filter Neha, Ananya, who is best friends with Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana Khan, talked about going on playdates at the superstar's house. The actress said, “I think he is just the kind of person… We didn't feel like that. He didn't make us feel like that. I don't think he makes anyone feel like that. He makes the person in front of him feel like the Badshah. He has this amazing quality about him.”
She added, “Shah Rukh sir is a very inclusive person. Like there was this year when KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders), they won their first IPL and he was like ‘it is because of you three, you are my lucky charm, you will always be with me'. So he always makes us feel special. When we were younger, I don't think we even realised this.”
Meanwhile, BFFs Suhana Khan and Ananya Panday cheered for SRK's Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Sunday. The Shreyas Iyer-led side was up against Lucknow Super Giants.
On the work front, Shah Rukh Khan was last seen in Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki.