Chunky Panday: I travelled to FIFA as Ananya’s plus one

Actor Chunky Panday is still soaking in the FIFA fever after watching the semi-final match with star footballer Lionel Messi in action, but what makes him happy is that he found one more thing to bond with his daughter and actor Ananya.

Chunky is in Qatar with Ananya, and his friends including Sanjay Kapoor, Shanaya Kapoor and Jahaan Kapoor. They watched the semi final match between Argentina and Croatia, with Messi leading Argentina to the finals.

“This was the first football match that I ever saw. I have never been to the World Cup before, forget that I have not even seen a big football match in a stadium,” says Chunky with a visible excitement in his voice.

The 60-year-old adds, “I’ve been watching cricket all my life but this was something electric. Watching the match between Argentina and Croatia and the whole atmosphere in the stadium was something else. We had such good seats. We felt we were actually on the field playing with the players. It was actually out of this world experience”.

Opening up about watching Messi play, the actor shares, “Oh my god, we cheered every time ball touched him, and Argentina are the best. They were out there screaming and cheering for their players. The vibe was infectious. If a Jumbo 747 had flown over the stadium, I am sure we would not have heard it. There was so much singing and cheering”.

“Watching Messi play has been ultimate. He will always go down as a legend, and we actually saw him scoring. It was beyond expectation. I had my Argentina T-shirt on, as I was supporting the country,” he says.

Falling off his seat was his reaction when Messi made the winning goal, as Chunky expresses, “It was a frenzy. Once you are in the stadium, watching the whole support for Messi, it is really infectious”.

Now, he is happy that he has one more thing to bond with his daughter. “Imagine, I have travelled to Qatar as her plus one. She was invited, and I said I am coming with you,” he says, admitting his amazement to see Ananya and Shanaya so passionate about football.

“I don’t know what happened so suddenly. In Mumbai, I was the one watching the World Cup all the time and now suddenly these girls have got so excited about it. They follow it but know coming to a stadium and watching it on TV are two different worlds altogether,” he says.

Not to forget their interesting run in with football star David Beckham. “Ohh yaa, he was right behind us… He waved, maybe he must have recognized,” Chunky jokes.

On a serious note, the actor shares, “The whole experience of being there is something I will

never forget”.

However, they won’t be able to stay for the finals. “Unfortunately, I’ve got work commitments so I won’t be able to stay in, and the same stands true for Ananya as well. So, we will have to come back. Like I say, we have got eliminated from the finals,” he signs off.