Chunky Panday Reacts as Donkey Named After Him Sells for ₹72,000
A donkey named Chunky fetched ₹72,000 at the Chitrakoot fair, topping donkeys named after Amitabh Bachchan and SRK. The actor reacts.
Chunky Panday has spent more than four decades building a film career, but his latest box-office feat happened at a livestock fair. At the annual donkey fair in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, a donkey named Chunky fetched ₹72,000—reportedly the highest price among animals named after Bollywood stars.
A ₹72,000 donkey with a famous namesake
Traders at the fair used star names to make their animals stand out. Donkeys were named after Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Mithun Chakraborty, but the one called Chunky drew the biggest price. When the 64-year-old actor heard the news, friends had already sent him the clipping.
“This is such an honor that people did this. My friends have been sending the news clipping to me, and any news is good news!”
Panday told Hindustan Times that he has watched this happen for 30 years. He compared it to barber shops that advertise a star’s name and hairstyle to pull in customers, and added that a burger joint even serves a Chunky Paneer Panday burger.
Star names are a quiet sales tool
The fair is a light story, but it shows how familiar Bollywood names travel far beyond cinema halls. In a crowded local market, a celebrity name works as a shortcut: it gives buyers a reason to pause, smile and remember one animal among many. That is the same principle behind a salon board promising a star cut or a menu item named after a film personality.
- The donkey named Chunky sold for ₹72,000 at the Chitrakoot fair.
- Donkeys named after Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Mithun Chakraborty were also part of the sale.
- Panday says this kind of tribute has been common for 30 years, from barber shops to burgers.
Why he is taking it as a win
Panday began his Hindi film career in 1987 with Aag Hi Aag and was last seen in Baby Do Die Do this year. A donkey topping a fair might not be a conventional honour, but his response is a small masterclass in handling an odd tribute: laugh, thank people and keep moving.
For Bollywood fans, the moment is also a reminder that stardom in India is measured in strange and affectionate ways—sometimes in tickets, sometimes in memes, and occasionally in the price of a donkey.
Source: Hindustan Times
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