Bhavana reveals her father didn't agree to marry Chunky

Bollywood couple

Chunky Panday

and Bhavana Pandey have never shied away from discussing the challenges they faced in their relationship. The two, who tied the knot in 1998, share two daughters—Ananya Panday and Rysa Panday. In a recent interview, Bhavana opened up about her love story with

Chunky

and the difficulties she faced in convincing her father to accept the relationship due to the actor’s ‘Casanova’ reputation.
In a conversation with Radio Nasha Official, Bhavana recalled how she first noticed Chunky when she was just 13. His hit film 'Aag Hi Aag' had just been released in 1987, and she had already seen his photos in a magazine advert. She reminisced about her early admiration for Chunky, revealing that a girl from her building, who aspired to be an actress, brought home his poster after attending the same acting class as him. Finding him attractive, Bhavana put up the poster in her room, admitting that she always thought he was very good-looking.

Recalling their first interaction, Bhavana mentioned that she met Chunky while sneaking out of her home for a short break during her final college exams in Delhi. “We met at a nightclub for the first time. We were three or four girls together, and he said, ‘Hi’. He must have been saying it to all the girls, I am assuming. I said it back and walked away, thinking that I knew him.”

Bhavana recalled how, in the pre-social media era, spotting actors in public was rare. She and her friends were excited to see Chunky in person after only knowing him from the screen. After chatting and dancing together, he asked for her phone number, but fearing her strict father, she deliberately gave him a non-functional landline number to avoid any calls reaching her home.

The 'Vijay 69' actor took the initiative in proposing marriage to Bhavana, who was a flight attendant at the time. Since international calls were expensive, she would save money to stay in touch with him. Recalling the moment, she shared that during a dinner in Delhi, where they first met, Chunky casually suggested that instead of spending money on travel to see each other, they should save and get married.
Unimpressed by the casual proposal, Bhavana rejected it initially. He soon went on stage and sang her favourite song with a little romance in it. Convincing her parents was the next step. Her mother was fine with the alliance, as she had already met Chunky.
Despite their love for each other, gaining her father’s approval was a difficult task. Bhavana revealed that he was hesitant because of their vastly different family backgrounds. Her father was strongly against it, as they came from very different worlds. He did not understand the film industry. “He dug out interviews and said, ‘I read that he is a Casanova’. There were so many rumours, so it took time to convince Papa, but he finally agreed. Today, Chunky is more of a son to him,” she added.