Never played a feel good character before 'Vijay 69': Chunky Panday

Mumbai: Actor Chunky Panday says he loved working on Vijay 69 as it gave him a chance to break his image as a comedic actor through an emotional role.

The film, starring Anupam Kher in the title role, follows the journey of Vijay, a 69-year-old man, who defies societal expectations by training for a triathlon and refusing to let age limit his ambitions.

In Vijay 69, written and directed by Akshay Roy, Panday plays the role of Kher’s friend.

"A slice-of-life kind of feel-good film is something that I've never done before, and this is the first time I got a chance to play a role like this. I was a little confused in the beginning. I did want to play it a little over the top and do it in my commercial way, but they both (Kher and Roy) kind of handheld me and told me ‘Take it easy, calm down’,” the actor told PTI.

Panday said he got stereotyped in light-hearted roles primarily due to his character in Apna Sapna Money Money and Houseful franchise.

"Some people even call me a comedian and I love that. I love making people laugh. But then I played the villain but what I really want to play and I think I'm going to get a chance in this film is to play an emotional character. In 'Vijay 69', I've got to do that,” he said.

Vijay 69, also starring Mihir Ahuja, is currently streaming on Netflix.

The actor is looking forward to reprise his character of Aakhri Pasta for “Houseful 5", which features a bevy of stars such as Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Chitrangada Singh, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Nargis Fakhri among others.