Blog wars are ‘desperate’ attempts: Sunny Deol

The Deol family, one of the most prominent families of Bollywood, is known to be very close-knit and reclusive. Unlike, the flamboyant Kapoors and Bachchans, they keep a very low profile and don’t allow intrusion in their family matters. But recently, the famous Deol brothers - Sunny and Bobby were seen going places to promote their in-house production ‘Chamku’, which stars Bobby Deol in the lead role. Grabbing the opportunity, Spicezee’s Swati Chaturvedi approached the Deol brothers for a historic and exclusive ‘Bhai-Bhai’ interview for ‘Kahiye Janaab’.

Swati: Bobby, are you the naughtiest in the family, being the younger one? Sunny: (Mischieviously) Some are naughty in an obvious way, while others do not speak much, but they are naughty in a subtle manner. Bobby: Well, younger ones speak more, so people think that they are naughtier but that’s not the case. Swati: Your father is known for not talking much, even you people let your work speak. There are blog wars going on, there are tiffs at birthday parties, your take on the chaos in filmdom? Bobby: (Feigning innocence) Is it so, you tell us. We don’t know about it. We live in a separate world. We are happy in our world and we don’t want to say anything about others lives. Swati: An actor in his book says that your father was a real superstar. What do you say? Sunny: Absolutely, Papa came from Punjab, struggled, found his footing in the industry. He had an intense passion for acting and never did anything ‘extra’ to draw attention. He never got involved in anything else. People liked him for his work and not for anything else. As his children, we believe in letting our work do the talking. Swati: Do you blog? What do you think of the recent blog war in the industry? Sunny: No, and I call these blog wars ‘desperate’. Basically, we don’t want to blog, wherever we go, our fans love us and that’s fine with us. Bobby: No, we don’t blog…where’s the time? Swati: Often, in the newspapers we read anonymous stuff that Sunny was such a good actor but he spoilt his career, what do you have to say? Sunny: I don’t like reading things, I would like to see and experience first hand. When you see, you start interacting. We can’t do anything by reading the newspapers. Reading such things just irritates you and you lose your peace. So, why to read such things… Bobby: (Actively supporting big brother) At the end of the day, what matters is what gives you peace. One reads and reacts strongly, which is bound to happen because we are actors. Indians are very gullible and simple people and believe whatever the media says. They accept any kind of misleading stuff and that upsets us. Sometimes, there are strange pieces of news, for instance- Dharmendra has had a heart attack and such stuff creates panic. Media should verify the news first. Swati: How did you react to the false news that Dharmendra has had a heart attack? Sunny & Bobby: We knew that the news was wrong and did not believe it. Swati: Would you like to create a ‘bhai-bhai’ brand, and market yourself like the ‘Saifeena’ brand on the lines of ‘commercialising relationship’ trend? Sunny: It’s not like that. Earlier, there were not many news channels, magazines and newspapers. An actor’s life was not out in the open. Now, actors are seen all over in public, promoting themselves. Now, it is important to go out. Everyone is making a loud noise about their work, and if we whisper, no one will listen. So, if we promote our projects, then our presence will be felt a little more. Swati: Why has Sunny Deol been missing from the big screen? Sunny: (Laughs) I was suffering from ill-health and lot of things were happening. Then, we thought of making an in-house film. Good stories were also not coming our way and the projects were not to our liking, so we thought of making our own film. Swati: What kind of films excite you Bobby? What are your criteria for doing a film? Bobby: Good script is the basis of my choice of a film. The best thing is that we are four (Dharmendra, Sunny, Bobby and Abhay) of us, working for in-house production and we choose what attracts us. We don’t have to go out and look for others to work in our films. We take up the projects, which are to our liking. Swati: Your father is so special to you. Even today, he has so many fans. What makes Dharmendra so special? Sunny: Well, for that you will have to ask a fan. As a son, I can say that there can’t be a better father. He is very soft-hearted but disciplined at the same time. We fear him, in the sense that we don’t want to do anything that he would not like. Bobby: My father is very special. And if you look into a fan’s eyes looking at him, you will know what I am talking about. There may be fans of other actors, but the look in their eyes, when they see my father is different. It is the ‘Dharmendra belongs to us’ look, which makes him so special. Swati: Do you think Dharmendra is an underrated actor? Sunny: He is the most under-rated actor in the industry. He is the best India has had-best looks, great acting skills and he is a great human being but media never gave him his due. We don’t want to shout about it but he has been under-rated for sure. Swati: There have been reports that you two asked Dharmendra not to join politics? Sunny: He himself was not so keen on joining politics. But the problem is if someone forces him, he can’t say no. Swati: Would you like to join politics? Bobby: There is already so much of politics in the industry, we can’t handle it outside. Swati: Bobby, do you think you lost out somewhere because your family is so isolated? Bobby: No, I don’t think so. Sunny: No, it’s nothing like that. Bobby has done a lot of blockbuster films. However, he has not been vocal about it. Others, create a great hype and fuss over their films. Swati: What is the USP of your latest film, ‘Chamku’? Bobby: I don’t know what’s this USP thing. Basically, there are just five different story-lines but films become different because of the distinct treatment given to them. ‘Chamku’ is a different film for me as an actor. It’s an action film which has been shot very realistically. Sunny: We love doing films and we hope that you enjoy seeing it as much as we enjoyed working on it. Swati: Would you like to say something to your fans… Sunny: Our in-house production banner Vijeyta films is celebrating its 25 years. We have always done good cinema. ‘Chamku’, is another great film and hope that you will like it. Swati: What are your upcoming projects? Sunny: My film ‘The Man’ is due to release in October. I am working on a few more projects, one or two of my films will also release in November. Adaptation: Shivangi Singh