This character gave me a chance to break away from my image, says Chunky Pandey on Abhay 2

Chunky Pandey, known for his comic roles in the Housefull franchise, De Dana Dan (2009), and other films, has begun exploring more roles with grey shades.

He played characters with grey shades in last year's releases Saaho (2019) and Prassthanam (2019). Now the actor is playing an out-and-out negative character in the Zee 5 web-series Abhay 2.

The 57-year-old actor is essaying the role of a deranged cannibalistic serial killer. "Normally people associate me with comedy and laughter [but] this character gave me a chance to break away from that image," Pandey stated in a recent webinar on the show.

"While playing a negative character, the first thing I have to do is to completely forget Chunky Pandey. I have to throw him in the dustbin," he added.

We see him as a simple middle-class guy with a perfectly side parted hair and plain clothes, but he also has a monster hidden inside him who revels in torturing people,the actor shared. Pandey also revealed that he took inspiration from his former school teacher for this deceiving look.

"I remember our teacher was a very sweet, and mellow guy," he recalled. "He used to also look very simple, but he had a very hot temper. In those days, teachers used to beat children without any restraint, so whenever he used to lose his temper, he would just beat children without restraint. So some of my physical traits like tge slouched posture and walking with a limp were inspired by him."

Abhay 2 has actor Kunal Kemmu returning as Abhay Pratap Singh, an investigating officer who has to tackle criminals as well as his personal demons on the job. Along with Pandey and Kemmu, the series also stars Asha Negi, Ram Kapoor, and Bidita Bag.