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Nineteen eighties' star Chunky Pandey, who is back in action these days, says he was in for a surprise when he signed Rajiv Ruia's film Ronnie & Rokky — he was getting paid less than a dog starring in the movie.
"A dog in the film was paid more than me because the producers imported it from Hollywood," Chunky said.
The dog's name is Richard and it is the offspring of the dog that played Jim Carrey's pet Milo in the 1994 Golden Globe nominated action comedy The Mask.
While Richard plays a dog that accidentally becomes animated in the film, Chunky essays the role of a pet detective in Ronnie & Rokky.
Chunky came into films in 1987 with Daraar, but it was his role in Tezaab that brought him fame. After that he gave hits like Vishwatma and Aankhen among others.
In the late 1990s, Chunky took a break from Bollywood due to dearth of offers, thanks to emerging actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan. He moved to Bangladeshi films and became a star there.
"I was not getting the kind of work I wanted in Bollywood. A friend of mine forced me to do a film in Bangladesh. The money was good and I was desperately in need of money at that time, so I took the offer.
"It was a sort of stock gamble for me. But my first film became such a huge hit that I never looked back and worked there for five years until I got married in 1998," he said.
The actor made a comeback in Bollywood in 2003 with supporting roles in films like Qayamat: City Under Threat and Elaan.
He received a positive response for his performance in Ram Gopal Varma's gangster thriller D - Underworld Baadshah and it opened doors for him. Post-D, he was seen in Apna Sapna Money Money, Don - The Chase Begins and Fool and Final.
The actor is right now concentrating on quality rather than quantity.
"Since I've come back, I've been doing good work though not much of it. My first innings in Bollywood was bad in terms of selections. I did movies with any producer. This time I'm choosy and I am restricting myself.
"I believe a lot in screen life and that is the reason why I am presenting myself in a very different manner this time on-screen," he said.