Despite being the son of Bollywood icon Dharmendra, actor Sunny Deol’s path in cinema has been smooth. Although his first film Betaab was a huge success, catapulting him into the limelight and earning him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, his career was marked by ups and downs, and in the 2000s, he took a steep decline that lasted nearly two decades. . However, director Anil Sharma Gadara 2respectively Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), revived Sunny’s fortunes, the movie became the fifth highest-grossing Indian film of 2023 and the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time.
Unavailable/surprisingly, his brother Bobby Deol also faced the same difficult situation in his career. However, like Sunny, Bobby is now on a journey back to the top. Participating in the third edition of SCREEN Live in Mumbai with his brother Bobby, Sunny reflected on their challenging yet rewarding journey in the film industry. He also praised Bobby for overcoming unemployment through his own efforts, without depending on others.
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Sunny Deol said, “The reality of life is that there are camps everywhere. Camps tend to travel with people who are part of them and will do so chamchagiri (sycophancy) to each other. In a way, the most advanced people… We are Jats, you know. Toh kuch bhi jo karte hain toh hum log darte nahin, hum karte hain. Aur hum sharmaate nahin kisi cheez se, sachche hain (So whatever we do, we are not afraid, we do it. And we are not ashamed of anything, we are honest). So people don’t like that.”
“You can see that in the last part of my father’s career, in the 80s and 90s, many big (production) houses did not work with my father. I also didn’t have a house to work with. There were no houses there. But what happens is, if you are talented, you are there and you can provide those things. That’s how I became a producer, I tried to bring films, we tried to do all those things. Lekin jab tak koi nahi aata, toh aap kuchh nahi ghar sakta hai, aapko ladte hi rehna pata hai (But until someone comes, there is nothing you can do, you have to keep fighting),” he added.
Sunny Deol also credited Bobby Deol for reviving his career getting an opportunity to work with Salman Khan directed by Remo D’Souza Race 3 (2018), marking his return after a five-year hiatus Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (2013). “Fortunately, I think it all started when Bobby was doing a film with Salman Khan and that’s when he changed and wanted.” Because he realized that at the end of the day, ‘I’ have to get up and do it. I have to kick butt, not mine, but kick over there.”
Famous for featuring strong, action-oriented characters, Sunny’s notable films include Arjun (1985), Paap Ki Duniya (1988), Tridev (1989), Ghayal (1990), Damini (1993), -Darr (1993), Jeet (1996), Ghatak (1996), Ziddi (1997) and and Arjun Pandit (1999). Notably, Ghayal won him the National Film Award – Special Jury Mention, while Damini won him the National Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
Sunny and Bobby Deol participated in the third edition of SCREEN Live.
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After his latest appearance in Gadar 2, Sunny Deol is now gearing up for the finale Lahore 1947a period drama directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, whose work includes films like Andaz Apna Apna (1994), Pukar (2000), Lajja (2001) and Khakee (2004). At the same time, Sunny is going to act in Gopichand Malineni’s film Jaatsharing the screen with Randeep Hooda, Saiyami Kher, Regina Cassandra, and Ravi Kishan, among others.
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