Dharmendra’s elder son Sunny Deol entered filmdom as a stereotypical chocolate boy hero. But he soon went down the action hero route, to emerge as a certified ‘Action King’ in Bollywood!
Sunny, who debuted in 1983, opposite a cherubic Amrita Singh in ‘Betaab’, won over legions of female fans with his intense, smouldering good looks. The film was such a blockbuster, that it even landed him a Filmfare Best Actor Nomination.
Subsequently though, the handsome Punjabi man changed tracks, and was seen as the one-man action army! His “dhai kilo ka haath” is still cited when reiterating the raw strength and brute power of yesteryear legend Dharmendra’s oldest son.
Deol’s career is dotted with hits like Border (1997), Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), the latter of which was the biggest hit of his career.
Sunny Deol’s new-age angry young (and strong, might we add) persona was reinforced with films like Arjun (1985), Sultanat (1986), Paap Ki Duniya (1988), Tridev (1989), Ghayal (1990), Damini – Lightning (1993), Darr (1993), Jeet (1996), Ghatak: Lethal(1996), Ziddi (1997), Indian (2001), The Hero: Love Story of a Spy (2003), Apne (2007)
The Deol lad even tried his hand at direction, and met with critical success with ‘Dillagi’ in 1997.
Sunny Deol has off late tried his hand at comedy, and has met with success in Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011). This 2011 entertainer starred his father and younger brother Bobby Deol, along with him.
While his onscreen persona has always been that of a strong, heroic man; off-screen, Sunny comes across as a sensitive, family-oriented man. He married Pooja Deol in the 1980’s, and has two sons. Reportedly, Sunny Deol’s elder son Karan Deol is gearing up to enter films.
