1. Sunny Deol was the Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament from Gurdaspur constituency of Punjab as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party from 2019 to 2024.
95 Facts About Sunny Deol
1. 2.
The elder son of actor Dharmendra, Sunny Deol made his acting debut opposite newcomer Amrita Singh in the romantic drama Betaab, a major commercial success.
3.
Sunny Deol had his biggest commercial successes in the period action films Border and.
4.
Sunny Deol subsequently starred with his father and younger brother, Bobby Deol, in the drama Apne and the comedy Yamla Pagla Deewana.
5.
Sunny Deol was born as Ajay Singh Sunny Deol on 19 October 1957, in the village of Sahnewal in East Punjab, India, in a Punjabi Jat family, to Bollywood actor Dharmendra and Prakash Kaur.
6.
Sunny Deol was afraid of his father, whom he respected and held in high regard, and remained obedient to him.
7.
Sunny Deol has publicly admitted to having dyslexia, which caused difficulties with reading and writing in school.
8.
In college, Sunny Deol was a quarrelsome student as he used to get into lots of fights and beat people.
9.
Sunny Deol used to carry metal rods and hockey sticks in his car for protection.
10.
Sunny Deol engaged in street races and made modifications to his car.
11.
Sunny Deol wanted to pursue car racing as a career but was denied by his family.
12.
Sunny Deol attended the renowned Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham.
13.
Sunny Deol was admitted based on a personal recommendation from Shashi Kapoor.
14.
Sunny Deol made his debut with the 1983 romantic film Betaab which earned him his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
15.
Sunny Deol broadened his range by appearing in Rahul Rawail's action film Arjun, in which he played the titular role of an unemployed radical youth who, along with his friends, fights against the corrupt and exploitative system.
16.
Sunny Deol starred in a series of commercially successful action films in the late 1980s.
17.
In Paap Ki Duniya, Sunny Deol portrayed a criminal raised by a crime lord.
18.
Sunny Deol's character, caught between his upbringing and his conscience, added complexity to the action driven narrative.
19.
Sunny Deol headlined Rajiv Rai's action thriller Tridev, playing a suspended police officer framed for a crime he didn't commit.
20.
Sunny Deol took on a lighter role in ChaalBaaz, a slapstick comedy film starring Sridevi in a dual role alongside Rajinikanth.
21.
Lootere was an action film where Sunny Deol played a cop investing the murder of his colleague with the help of a bar dancer.
22.
Also in 1993, Sunny Deol reunited with Rajkumar Santoshi to play an alcoholic lawyer in the highly successful crime drama Damini and was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor and the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.
23.
That same year, Sunny Deol portrayed the character of a lieutenant army officer in Yash Chopra's musical psychological thriller Darr.
24.
In Jeet, Sunny Deol played a hitman who falls in love with a woman, prompting a dramatic struggle between his criminal past and a yearning for a better future.
25.
Sunny Deol's performance was appreciated, with praise drawn towards his ability to blend action with romance.
26.
Sunny Deol starred alongside Karisma Kapoor in Ajay, which was successful and found its place in the list of highest grossers of the year.
27.
Sunny Deol kicked off 1997 with Ziddi which had a lifetime collection of Rs.
28.
Sunny Deol played a larger than life role of Deva, a hot headed man who takes revenge on the corrupt politicians responsible for his family's suffering.
29.
Sunny Deol followed it up with Border, an epic war film based on the real life events that happened during the Battle of Longewala in 1971, in which Deol played the leading role of decorated Indian Army officer Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri.
30.
In 1998, Sunny Deol collaborated with Guddu Dhanoa after Ziddi, to star in the action film Salaakhen.
31.
Sunny Deol was paid 6 crore for his role in Gadar, the highest for any Indian actor at that time.
32.
In 2002, Sunny Deol starred in the war film Maa Tujhhe Salaam which opened strongly and despite being among the highest-grossing films of the year, only emerged as a box office disappointment due to poor reviews.
33.
Sunny Deol played the role of Indian revolutionary Chandra Shekhar Azad in 23rd March 1931: Shaheed, starring his brother Bobby Deol in the role of Bhagat Singh.
34.
In 2004, Sunny Deol starred in Lakeer, which featured an ensemble cast including Sunil Shetty, and newcomers Sohail Khan and John Abraham.
35.
In early 2006, Sunny Deol starred in the techno-thriller Teesri Aankh.
36.
In September 2006, Sunny Deol took on a role in the action-adventure film Naksha, an endeavour by Bollywood to capture the essence of films seen in the Indiana Jones and The Mummy series.
37.
Sunny Deol kicked off 2007 with Big Brother, a vigilante film.
38.
Sunny Deol appeared alongside his father Dharmendra and brother Bobby Sunny Deol together for the first time in Apne, a family sports-drama film.
39.
In 2018, Sunny Deol appeared in Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se, the third film in the franchise.
40.
Meanwhile, in 2019, Sunny Deol took the mantle of a director again, his third film as a director, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, which marked the debut of his son Karan Sunny Deol, with another newcomer Sahher Bambba in lead roles.
41.
Sunny Deol declined the lead role in the 2019 hit film Kesari.
42.
In 2022, Deol starred in the crime thriller Chup: Revenge of the Artist directed by R Balki.
43.
Sunny Deol won the Lions Gold Awards for Male Action Star Of The Year 2022.
44.
Sunny Deol won the Zee Cine Award for Best Actor for Gadar 2, while he was named the GQ India Leading Man of the Year 2023.
45.
Sunny Deol announced an action film titled SDGM to be directed by Gopichand Malineni in July 2024, which was later renamed Jaat and released on 10 April 2025.
46.
Sunny Deol is reuniting with Rajkumar Santoshi to headline Lahore 1947 which will be produced by Aamir Khan.
47.
Sunny Deol is set to play the lead role in the sequel to 1997's Border, titled Border 2.
48.
Sunny Deol joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on 23 April 2019.
49.
Sunny Deol won the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections from Gurdaspur constituency in Punjab against Sunil Jakhar of Indian national Congress with a margin of 82,459 votes.
50.
Sunny Deol missed six parliamentary sessions and posed only four questions, with just one concerning Gurdaspur.
51.
Sunny Deol inquired about illegal sand mining in his constituency but did not engage in any debates.
52.
Sunny Deol stopped visiting Gurdaspur after September 2020 and failed to return even during the floods in August 2023.
53.
Sunny Deol cited COVID-19 as a factor contributing to his absence.
54.
Sunny Deol emphasised that, while he has a record of his accomplishments, he is not one to publicly promote them.
55.
Sunny Deol became secluded towards the end and did not invite a single person from his constituency to his son's wedding in June 2023.
56.
Sunny Deol announced his decision not to seek re-election in 2024, stating that he is not suited for politics and wishes to focus on creating quality cinema.
57.
Sunny Deol has a younger brother Bobby Deol and two sisters Vijayta and Ajeeta who are settled in California, United States.
58.
Sunny Deol is married to Lynda Deol, who comes from an Anglo-Indian family.
59.
Sunny Deol made his Bollywood debut in 2019 with the Hindi-language feature film Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas.
60.
Sunny Deol then starred in the 2021 crime comedy film Velle, a remake of the Telugu film film Brochevarevarura.
61.
Sunny Deol is set to play a role in Sunny Deol's upcoming film Lahore 1947.
62.
Sunny Deol is frequently recognised as a superstar of Indian cinema.
63.
Sunny Deol established himself as an action hero, with his roles in Arjun, Ghayal, Ghatak, Border, and Gadar: Ek Prem Katha.
64.
At the peak of his career, Sunny Deol was known for his muscular physique.
65.
Sunny Deol has been noted as one of the pioneers who kickstarted the trend of bodybuilding in Bollywood.
66.
Sunny Deol was one of the prominent actors of Hindi cinema in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, appearing in Box Office India's list of top actors nine times from 1989 to 2002.
67.
Sunny Deol was one of the highest paid actors of Hindi cinema during the 1990s.
68.
Since 1990, Sunny Deol has the third most bumper openings at the box office with a total of 10, behind only Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.
69.
Sunny Deol has given three record openers since 1990 including Kshatriya, Border, and Indian.
70.
Sunny Deol is the first and only Indian actor to deliver an all-time blockbuster as a lead hero after turning 60, he was 66 when he accomplished this landmark with his 2023 release Gadar 2.
71.
Sunny Deol has been compared to Sylvester Stallone, earning him the moniker of "Indian Rambo".
72.
In 2016, Geeta Phogat, the Indian wrestler and Olympic gold medalist, expressed her admiration for Sunny Deol, citing him as her favourite actor and how she drew inspiration from his "angry man" portrayals.
73.
In 2023, Sunny Deol was referenced in the lyrics of Haryanvi singer Raju Punjabi's viral song "Choudhar Jaat Ki".
74.
Sunny Deol is renowned for his powerful voice, serving as an inspiration for many imitators and voice actors.
75.
In contrast to the stereotype of the silent action hero, Sunny Deol's characters are men of action and articulate numerous words.
76.
Sunny Deol's filmography is marked by instances of graphic violence, such as the arm-tearing scene in Ziddi.
77.
Sunny Deol has consistently faced criticism for his dancing skills throughout his career.
78.
Early in his career, Sunny Deol largely refrained from dancing, but as his career progressed, his dance routines became a distinctive part of his screen persona.
79.
Sunny Deol has acknowledged the criticism openly and maintains a lighthearted attitude towards it.
80.
Sunny Deol's characters embodied the frustrations and aspirations of the common man during this transformative period.
81.
Sunny Deol's films became cultural touchstones of the time, resonating with the audience and making him an aspirational role model and heroic figure of the era.
82.
Sunny Deol is known for being a humble, shy, and gentle person, who values his privacy and does not socialize much.
83.
Sunny Deol is seen as a passionate, loyal, and dedicated actor, who works hard and does not compromise on his beliefs.
84.
Sunny Deol's father characterised him as "painfully introverted" and lamented that he remains very distant despite his capacity for love.
85.
Sunny Deol is particularly known for his extreme shyness around his female co-stars.
86.
Sunny Deol is regarded for his punctuality and discipline on set.
87.
Sunny Deol holds a significant place in my life because he gave me my first film.
88.
Sunny Deol is not very talkative on the set, but it takes you 5 minutes to understand that he likes to keep it simple.
89.
Sunny Deol said that he was not offered any good scripts and that many of his contemporaries were jealous of his success.
90.
Sunny Deol starred in the Yash Chopra-directed Darr, where he played the protagonist opposite Shah Rukh Khan.
91.
Sunny Deol claimed that the final version differed significantly from what was initially conveyed to him, with edited scenes that he was not informed about.
92.
Sunny Deol had a heated argument with Chopra over the climax of the film, during which he ripped his pants in anger.
93.
Sunny Deol faced a boycott by the farmers of Punjab, who were protesting against the farm laws passed by the central government in 2020.
94.
Sunny Deol was accused of being silent and inactive on the issue, and of not raising the voice of his constituents in the parliament.
95.
Sunny Deol later backed the new farm laws which led to the farmers burning his effigies and posters, and refusing to watch his films.