Actors Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol poured their hearts out on the Koffee With Karan couch on Thursday, sharing the ups and downs of their career and giving a glimpse of the bond that holds the large Deol family together. The second episode of Season 8 of the talk show hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar revolved around Sunny striking box-office gold after a long dry spell with Gadar 2 and Bobby reviving his career on streaming platforms with Aashram, Class of 83 and Love Hostel. Here are the highlights from the Deol-ious episode, streaming on Disney+Hotstar.
Sunny Deol’s journey from Gadar to Gadar 2
Looking back at Gadar 2’s massive box-office opening, Sunny remembered ‘laughing and crying’ constantly after the overwhelming response to the film screening on August 10, which was attended by his father and veteran actor Dharmendra along with family members.
Sunny confessed that his struggle started right after Gadar’s success in 2001, as the world around him changed magically. From lack of good work to the influx of the corporate culture in films, Sunny rued about not being able to fairly adjust to the changes and the new ways of the filmmaking business.
Bobby Deol’s struggling phase
Barsaat star Bobby owned up to having given up on his career after a string of flops. He took to drinking and sat at home without work for a long stretch of time. He questioned his abilities and others’ intent to take him on board and it went on until he decided to pull himself together. Bobby admitted that he would react to trolling but later decided to let his work speak for himself.
While his elder brother Sunny addressed the issue of nepotism, the Aashram actor quipped, ‘I mean, look at my career. It’s an example for people that you can be any starkid.’ Currently, with ‘an energy to conquer the world’, Bobby is all set to play the antihero in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s December 1 release Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor.
Gadar 2’s big clash with OMG 2
For Sunny Deol, Gadar 2’s release was ‘an emotional thing’. Since he didn’t have a successful film in a long time, he was in no mood to have another film jeopardise its prospects. So, when Akshay Kumar-starrer OMG 2’s release date clashed with Gadar 2’s, a hurt Sunny requested Akshay to alter the film’s release date. Akshay clarified that the matter was not in his hands and that two films could release on the same day, as per the film production studio.
Karan Johar teases Sunny Deol
With his trademark tongue-in-cheek humour in place, Karan didn’t miss the chance to quiz Sunny about projecting Gadar 2’s box-office success with the tagline ‘Hindustan ka asli blockbuster’ and whether he felt that the numbers projected by other film banners were inflated as claimed by his director Anil Sharma. To this, Sunny replied, ‘It’s happening and that’s the way it is.’
The Deol boys and the bonhomie
Dharmendra-Shabana Azmi’s kiss in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani was one of the talking points, and Sunny laughed it off saying, ‘Dad can do whatever he likes and get away with it.’
Alongside Dharmendra, Sunny’s two sons Karan and Rajveer, and Bobby’s elder son Aryaman left an emotional video message, which moved the Deol brothers to tears. Karan talked about his father’s shopaholic nature, especially his habit of collecting soft toys on his travels. Rajveer, who recently made his acting debut with Dono, shared how his father made him feel ‘emasculated’ by making him sit on his lap like a kid even a few years ago. Aryaman mentioned how proud he was to be possessing his father’s iconic blue sunglasses from Barsaat, and how his Tayaji (Sunny Deol) and he do a ‘dhai kilo ka hug’.
Dharmendra was at his candid best, calling Bobby ‘chalu’ and gesturing that his younger son had picked up his bad habits (smoking and drinking). Bobby replied with a naughty grin, ‘I have gone after you if I am chalu.’ About the Deol brothers’ equation with Esha and Ahana, the brother duo chimed, ‘They are our sisters, and nothing changes that.’
The Deols brothers’ tryst with Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan
In the rapid-fire round, Sunny promptly acknowledged being considered ‘the most successful angry young man’ after Amitabh Bachchan. Quizzed about what he liked and disliked about certain actors, Sunny appreciated Shah Rukh Khan’s hardworking nature but disapproved of how he made ‘actors a commodity’. He loved Salman Khan for being ‘a good human being’ but not the fact that he wanted everyone to become bodybuilders. He praised Akshay Kumar’s punctuality but questioned his decision to work on a lot of films.
Bobby talked about his affectionate bond with Salman Khan, whom he calls ‘Mamu’, and his gratitude to Salman for offering him work in Race 3. He also acknowledged Shah Rukh Khan-owned Red Chillies Entertainment’s contribution to his career resurgence, for coming up with projects such as Class of 83, Love Hostel and Aryan Khan’s upcoming web show.
