Sunny Deol
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| Sunny Deol in 2025 | |
| Born | 19 October 1957 (age 68) Sahnewal, Punjab, India |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | |
| Alma mater | Ramniranjan Anandilal Podar College of Commerce and Economics |
| Occupation | Actor, Film Director, Producer |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Known for | Action Films, Iconic Dialogue Delivery, Roles in Ghayal, Border, Gadar |
| Notable works | Ghayal', 'Damini, Border, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, Gadar 2 |
| Awards | 2 National Film Awards, 2 Filmfare Awards |
| Spouse(s) | Pooja Deol |
| Parents | Dharmendra (father), Prakash Kaur (mother) |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Website | See below |
Ajay Singh Deol known professionally as Sunny Deol, is an Indian actor, film director, producer, and politician. He is one of India’s most popular action stars and has appeared in over 100 Hindi films in a career of more than 40 years. Famous for his powerful dialogue delivery and strong action roles, he has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards.
Sunny Deol made his debut with the hit film Betaab (1983), which established him as a leading actor. He gained major fame with films like Ghayal (1990), Damini (1993), Border (1997), Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), and Gadar 2 (2023)—one of the biggest hits of his career.
He served as a Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur, Punjab (2019–2024). The son of legendary actor Dharmendra, Sunny Deol continues to be one of the most iconic action heroes in Indian cinema.
Early Life & Education
Sunny Deol was born as Ajay Singh Deol on 19 October 1957 in Sahnewal, Punjab. He is the son of actor Dharmendra and Prakash Kaur. He belongs to a Punjabi Jat family and has a younger brother Bobby Deol and two sisters, Vijayta and Ajeeta. Hema Malini is his step-mother, and Esha and Ahana Deol are his half-sisters. His cousin Abhay Deol is also an actor.
Sunny studied at Sacred Heart Boys High School and later at Poddar College in Mumbai. He has said he had dyslexia in school, which made studies difficult, but he was very active in sports.
In college, he often got into fights and loved cars, racing, and modifying vehicles. He wanted to become a car racer, but his family did not agree.
After college, he studied theatre at the Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham, UK, performed on stage, and then returned to India to begin his film career. He got admission with a recommendation from actor Shashi Kapoor.
Career
Acting Career
Sunny Deol made his acting debut in Betaab (1983), a romantic film that became a big hit and made him an overnight star. The film’s success earned him his first Filmfare nomination. In 1984, he acted in several films, with Sohni Mahiwal becoming a notable success.
From 1985 to 1989, Sunny established himself as a strong action hero with films like Arjun (1985), Dacait (1987), Paap Ki Duniya (1988), Yateem (1988), Vardi (1989), and the blockbuster Tridev (1989). He also did the comedy ChaalBaaz (1989), which was a hit.
Sunny’s biggest turning point came with Ghayal (1990), where he played a boxer seeking justice. The film became a massive success and won him the National Film Award and the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Throughout the 1990s, he delivered many hits like Yodha, Narsimha, and Vishwatma.
In 1993, he appeared in several major films. His role as a powerful lawyer in Damini won him the National Award and became iconic for dialogues like “Tarikh pe tarikh.” He also starred in Darr (1993), which became a big hit.
Sunny continued acting in successful films through the early 2000s and remained one of Bollywood’s most popular action stars.
1996 was one of Sunny Deol’s most successful years. He had four releases — Himmat, Jeet, Ghatak, and Ajay. Jeet, co-starring Salman Khan and Karisma Kapoor, earned ₹30.5 crore worldwide and became the 3rd highest-grossing film of 1996. Sunny played a hitman who falls in love and decides to change his life. His mix of action and emotion was praised. In Ajay, again paired with Karisma Kapoor, he delivered another successful film of the year. Ghatak was both a critical and commercial hit and was declared a blockbuster. Sunny’s role as Kashi Nath, fighting a brutal gangster, became iconic. His powerful dialogues like “Ye mazdoor ka haath hai, Katya” became widely popular. The film also earned him a Filmfare Best Actor nomination.
In 1997, Sunny started the year with Ziddi, a major hit with a lifetime collection of ₹32.43 crore. He played Deva, a fearless man taking revenge against corrupt politicians. He followed it with Border, based on the 1971 Battle of Longewala, where he played Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri. The film was an all-time blockbuster and the highest-grossing Hindi film of 1997. Border is still considered one of India’s greatest war films. Sunny received another Filmfare Best Actor nomination for his performance.
In 1998, he teamed up again with director Guddu Dhanoa for Salaakhen, co-starring Raveena Tandon. The film opened strongly and was a clean hit, especially remembered for Sunny’s intense courtroom monologue.
In 1999, he reunited with Rahul Rawail for Arjun Pandit. Despite mixed reviews, the film was a hit. The same year, Sunny made his directorial debut with Dillagi, starring himself, Bobby Deol, and Urmila Matondkar. Though the film didn’t perform well, it was appreciated later for its emotional storytelling.
Sunny delivered one of the biggest hits in Indian cinema with Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001). He played Tara Singh, a brave Sikh truck driver who falls in love during the Partition and travels to Pakistan to bring back his wife, Sakeena. The film became the highest-grossing Hindi film ever at the time, earning over ₹1.3 billion worldwide, and remains one of the top films in Indian box office history (even after inflation adjustment). The famous handpump scene became a cultural phenomenon, and Sunny’s performance received major praise.
2001–2003
Sunny Deol was paid ₹6 crore for Gadar, the highest salary for any Indian actor at that time. His performance earned him another Filmfare Best Actor nomination. In the same year, he starred in the action film Indian (2001), which opened very strong and became the 4th highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. Critics said his role as DCP Rajshekhar Azad suited him perfectly.
In 2002, Sunny appeared in the war film Maa Tujhhe Salaam. It opened well and was among the top earners of the year but was considered a disappointment due to negative reviews. He also played Chandra Shekhar Azad in 23rd March 1931: Shaheed, alongside Bobby Deol as Bhagat Singh. The film clashed with another Bhagat Singh movie and both failed at the box office.
In 2003, Sunny again teamed up with Anil Sharma for The Hero: Love Story of a Spy, co-starring Preity Zinta and debutant Priyanka Chopra. With a huge budget of ₹60 crore, it was the most expensive Bollywood film at that time. It became the third highest-grossing film of the year, and critics called it over-the-top but entertaining.
2004–2022: Career
During this period, Sunny Deol suffered back injuries and shifted away from action films, experimenting with different genres but seeing mostly limited success.
He appeared in several commercial failures including Lakeer (2004), Rok Sako To Rok Lo (2004), Teesri Aankh (2006) and Naksha (2006). Jo Bole So Nihaal (2005) invited controversy and was withdrawn after bombings in theatres.
In 2007, he featured in Big Brother and the ensemble film Fool N Final, both unsuccessful. However, Apne (2007), starring him with Dharmendra and Bobby, performed well. He worked again with Bobby in Heroes (2008) and later played a rare villain role in Fox (2009), another flop.
Deol returned with Right Yaaa Wrong (2010) and achieved a hit with Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011). He voiced Bheem in the animated Mahabharata (2013) and saw failures with Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (2013). He made a modest comeback in Singh Saab The Great (2013), which performed moderately well and became popular for its dialogues.
From 2015 to 2018, he saw more setbacks with I Love NY (2015), Poster Boys (2017), Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se (2018), Bhaiyyaji Superhitt (2018), and Mohalla Assi (2018), all performing poorly. In 2019, he directed Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, launching his son Karan Deol.
In 2022, Deol made a notable acting comeback with Chup: Revenge of the Artist, earning positive reviews and winning the Lions Gold Award for Male Action Star of the Year.
2023–Present
Sunny Deol made a powerful comeback with Gadar 2 (2023), which became the highest-grossing film of his career with ₹691 crore worldwide. The film revived his stardom, earning him multiple nominations, including his seventh Filmfare Best Actor nomination, and awards like the Zee Cine Award for Best Actor (Viewer’s Choice) and GQ India’s Leading Man of the Year 2023. In 2025, he continued his momentum with Jaat, which opened to positive reviews praising his mass appeal and crossed ₹100 crore while performing strongly on Netflix. Deol now has several major upcoming projects, including Lahore 1947, Border 2 (2026), Safar (2025), a big Excel Entertainment action thriller, Ramayana Part 1 & 2 (2026–27) where he plays Hanuman, Coal King, Ikka, and Gabru, marking a solid resurgence and renewed demand in mainstream cinema.
Political Career
Sunny Deol joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in April 2019. During the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, he won from the Gurdaspur constituency in Punjab by over 82,000 votes.
However, his political performance was widely criticised. He had very low attendance (18%), asked only a few questions in Parliament, and rarely visited his constituency after 2020. He also used only a small part of the funds allotted for development work.
Sunny later said that he preferred focusing on his constituency instead of sitting in Parliament, and that COVID-19 affected his participation. He eventually decided not to contest the 2024 elections, saying he is not suited for politics and wants to focus on films again.
Personal Life
Sunny Deol is married to Lynda (Pooja) Deol, who comes from an Anglo-Indian family, and the couple has two sons, Karan and Rajveer. Lynda wrote the story of Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, while Karan worked on the film as an assistant director, rapped in a song, and later made his acting debut with Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas (2019), followed by Velle (2021); he is also set to appear in Sunny’s upcoming film Lahore 1947. Rajveer entered Bollywood with his debut film Dono (2023). In 2023, Karan married Drisha Acharya. Despite their fame, the Deol family maintains a low profile and rarely attends social events.
Legacy
Sunny Deol is considered one of the biggest action stars in Indian cinema. Films like Arjun, Ghayal, Ghatak, Border, and Gadar made him a symbol of strength and intensity. His “angry young man” image and powerful dialogue delivery became iconic.
He was one of the highest-paid actors of the 1990s and has had several record-breaking box-office openings. He is the only Indian actor to deliver an all-time blockbuster (Gadar 2) after turning 60.
Many celebrities, including wrestlers and actors, have admired him. His strong voice and unique style are widely imitated in comedy shows and dubbing.
Notable Works
Sunny Deol is known for his impactful performances in films such as Arjun (1985), Ghayal (1990), Ghatak (1996), Border (1997), Indian (2001), and the blockbuster Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001). He continued his success with Gadar 2 (2023), becoming the first Indian actor to deliver an all-time blockbuster after the age of 60.
Achievements and Recognition
Sunny Deol is widely regarded as one of Indian cinema’s greatest action stars. He has topped Box Office India’s list of top actors twice and was among the highest-paid Hindi film actors of the 1990s. His powerful screen presence, dialogue delivery, and “angry hero” roles earned him the nickname “Indian Rambo.” His iconic dialogues continue to be referenced in pop culture, and he was included in Outlook India’s list of the 75 Best Bollywood Actors. Celebrities like Varun Dhawan, John Abraham, and Geeta Phogat have publicly praised him, and his influence is often reflected in films, music, and television.