Chunky Panday: Ananya and Bhavana got the shivers when they saw me as Muhammad Ghori in ‘Nayika Devi’ – Exclusive – Times of India

Chunky Panday is known for the laughs and cheer he spreads with his various onscreen characters, but with his next, the actor is set to scare the living daylights out of the audience. He will be essaying the role of Muhammad Ghori in Gujarati movie ‘Nayika Devi’. Speaking about venturing into a dark character, Chunky told ETimes, “I’ve always loved history in school and I’ve always wanted to play a historic character. I did play a historic character as Aakhri Pasta in ‘Housefull 4’, where we were born 200 years ago. But that was something else (laughs). In ‘Housefull 4’ we write our own history, but as Muhammad Ghori in ‘Nayika Devi’, it was different. It was very interesting when I read about him. There are so many legends and things associated to Muhammad Ghori, so when they told me I was going to play him I got quite excited about it. I said, ‘No holds barred, let’s do it’!”

Asked about the prep for his role and the actor quips, “Muhammad Ghori was really gory. I mean, the things he does in the film. You know, I don’t wanna scare you, but it came quite naturally, naturally to me (laughs). But as I said, we do it all for entertainment. So, one has to give us that liberty to present what we want to.”

Interestingly, the actor’s gory look and personality for the film got a jittery response from his family. “Oh God, they got the shivers! So far the response to the trailer has been fantastic, so I am actually thrilled about it,” signed off Chunky with a laugh.

Helmed by Nitin G, ‘Nayika Devi’ is set in the 12th century and will narrate the story of India’s female warrior, Nayika Devi and her war against Muhammad Ghori. The film is slated for release on May 6.