Bollywood's favourite, 'aakhri pasta', Chunky Panday has a unique love story with his beloved, Bhavana Panday!
One of the much-loved couples of B-Town, Chunky Panday and Bhavana Panday makes for a highly uncommon pair. Nevertheless, the couple has stood beside one another through thick and thin. Fast forward to now, they are doting parents to their daughters Ananya Panday and Rysa Panday. Take a look at their uniquely woven love story!
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The first meeting between Chunky and Bhavana was far from anything romantic. At that point in time, Chunky had just recovered from a broken engagement with former VJ and model, Anu Kotto. One fine day, after wrapping up a hectic day judging a beauty pageant in Delhi and missing his same-day flight to Mumbai, Chunky visited the famous disco, Ghungroo, in Delhi. And it was there where he laid his eyes on probably the most beautiful girl around him at that point. Bhavana was also in the disco and was enjoying a hearty chit-chat with her friends.
While Chunky was immediately smitten with Bhavana, he approached her and stroked a conversation. After flirting with her, Chunky asked her for her number. Interestingly, as no paper or pen was available, he had to memorise the number. Unfortunately, while Chunky had to leave for Mumbai the next day, he could not continue following his heart. However, a month later, Chunky returned to Delhi once again for work. And this time, he spaced out time and called up Bhavana’s number only to find out she had gone abroad for the time being. Recalling that phase of his initial dating period, Chunky had once mentioned:
“A month later when I was in Delhi, I called up her house and I was told that she had flown abroad for good. I thought our love story had come to an end. Later, I came to know that she had gone abroad only for a few months to train to become an air hostess with Lufthansa. Later, a common friend informed me that Bhavana is in Mumbai and is staying at the Leela Hotel. I called up the hotel and asked for her room number.”
After this, Chunky and Bhavana frequently hung out together, going on dates and having all sorts of conversations. As the love bug had already bitten them, these times spent together only increased their love for one another. However, despite their love and commitment for each other, a major setback between them was their distant relationship. While Chunky was based in Mumbai for work, Bhavana, too, was settled with her family in Delhi.
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Much like the unusual person Chunky is, he quickly figured out the best way to remove the geographical distance between him and his then-girlfriend, Bhavana. Well, all he did was propose marriage to Bhavana in the most unexpected of manners. In an interview with Pinkvilla, Chunky had once recalled how he proposed to Bhavana and mentioned:
“You live in Delhi, I live in Bombay. All these phone calls, flights, hotels and everything is too expensive for a relationship. Let’s save money and get married.”
Once the proposal was made, the next step was to inform the families. Interestingly, Bhavana’s father was quite apprehensive about giving his daughter's hand to Chunky, who wasn't stable in his acting career. However, Chunky soon warmed up with Bhavana’s family and assured them he could care for their daughter. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Bhavana recalled how the time right before their marriage, Chunky was always jovial with her despite his professional setback. In her words:
“Those two years, even though he was going through his lowest, I never felt that. He was always laughing, joking, being a really nice person. He never let me feel it even when we were dating. And then, when we got married, he continued the same thing.”
Finally, after many setbacks, pauses and difficulties, the love birds tied the knot on January 17, 1998. The couple became one under their parents' blessings and their families' presence. While the duo was quite young at their wedding, it was nevertheless the best decision they had taken in their lives. In an interview, Bhavana recalled that marriage was an eye-opener for her as it made them not only come closer but also helped them to grow individually.
Right after their wedding, the duo flew off abroad for their honeymoon. But little did they know that destiny had a beautiful plan for the newly-wedded couple. Well, barely months after their wedding, Bhavana conceived their first child, Ananya who was born in December, 1998. Speaking about the same, Bhavana once revealed in an interview how their eldest daughter, Ananya Panday was a honeymoon baby and that had she was with them on their first anniversary. In her words:
"Ananya is literally a honeymoon baby. We were married in January 1998, and she was born in October. People were actually calculating if I conceived her before or after marriage. We still had to discover each other and then we had this beautiful baby. She has been with us from our first anniversary."
The evergreen couple, Chunky and Bhavana are blessed with two daughters, Ananya Panday (born in 1988) and Rysa Panday (born in 2004). Both their princesses are the apple of their eyes and their parents dote on them simply. Interestingly, Bhavana and Chunky’s elder daughter, Ananya, has followed in her father’s footsteps and is now a bonafide actress in the Hindi film industry.
Fast forward to now, nearly 25 years have passed since the couple’s grand wedding. While Chunky continues to mark his presence on the silver screens, Bhavana has emerged as a great socialite and even runs her restaurant as an entrepreneur. The duo continue to shed couple goals even today.
What do you think about this one of a kind love story of Chunky Panday and Bhavana Panday?
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