Actor Chunky Panday once recounted how a prank by co-star Akshay Kumar during the shoot of Housefull nearly ended with him scrubbing dishes in an Italian restaurant kitchen — a story that has since become one of Bollywood's most-retold on-set tales.

The Prank That Went Too Far

Panday shared the incident during his appearance on The Kapil Sharma Show, when host Kapil Sharma asked him about being pranked. Panday recalled that Akshay invited the entire film crew to a restaurant in Italy, announcing he would treat everyone. The group ate, drank wine, and made merry — until Panday stepped away to use the bathroom just as the bill arrived.

In his own words: 'Akshay took me to a restaurant in Italy, and he told everyone in the unit that he was treating everyone. So we went there, drank wine, ate food, and all. I went to the bathroom because the bill was about to come. As I was in the bathroom, they all left. So when I came out of the bathroom, I thought Akshay must have paid the bill.'

The Kitchen Moment

The bill, of course, had not been paid. According to Panday, the hotel manager tracked him down and escorted him to the kitchen to wash utensils — the classic consequence for a diner who cannot settle the tab. The image of a Bollywood actor scrubbing pots in an Italian restaurant kitchen quickly drew laughter from the studio audience.

Panday added that directors Sajid Khan and producer Sajid Nadiadwala eventually returned to the restaurant and rescued him from his culinary duties.

About Housefull

The Housefull franchise's first instalment was helmed by Sajid Khan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film is believed to have been loosely based on the 1998 Tamil film Kaathala Kaathala. It featured an ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Arjun Rampal, Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone, and Jiah Khan, with Boman Irani, Chunky Panday, Randhir Kapoor, Lillete Dubey, and Malaika Arora in supporting roles.

What's Next: Welcome To The Jungle

The prank story comes as Panday and several Bollywood veterans gear up for Welcome To The Jungle, the third instalment in the Welcome franchise, directed by Ahmed Khan. Following Welcome Back in 2015, the new film brings together a sprawling cast: Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Johnny Lever, Aftab Shivdasani, Lara Dutta, Shreyas Talpade, and Tusshar Kapoor. The film promises to be a comedy ensemble in the franchise's signature style.