“My work will prove my worth”

Karan Deol – Sunny Deol’s son has already made his presence felt in Bollywood with his first film Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas. All through the love story, it is Karan’s honesty and innocence that wins your heart. How did he manage to achieve that simplicity despite being a star kid? What was it like to be directed by his father? And most importantly WHAT IS SUNNY DEOL LIKE AS A FATHER? - we were dying to know… so we sat the daddy-baby down for an exclusive tete-e-tete with Bollywood Insider, writes Shubarna Mukerji Shu.

When you see the credits read as Dharmendra presents Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, you realise this one will be  one family entertainer all the way. With Papa – Sunny Deol directing it and Karan Deol debuting, how can it be anything else? But was it so easy for the Deols to just package Karan up and put him out at the box office and reap rewards? Was is it easy for Karan to see Sunny Deol in the eye and declare he too wanted to be a hero? Was it easy to put everything else on hold and create a space for Karan in the industry? 

Making a movie and launching your son might be just part of the job done, to make a career one needs to establish oneself. How do the Deols plan on taking this journey forward? 

Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, also happens to be one of actor Dharmendra’s most popular songs. With such a romantic title, how was it to begin a new journey?

Karan: It made it auspicious but beyond that we didn’t want to make too much out of it. So if you see our title track is not a remix or abridged version of the old classic. We didn’t want to touch something so loved and turn it into something else.                                                                          

Sunny: Yes, we are very old school when it comes to remixes and as such it is not our style at all. It is just not our way…  

So it will be safe to say that Karan won’t be doing a Ghayal or Arjun? 

Karan: I would love to do these films, and if someone ever offered it to me, I might be tempted to say yes. But one thing is for sure, my family won’t be remaking any of that! 

Sunny: It is just lazy to pick something up and rehash it and sell it as new. If something good has happened, thrill in it and even enjoy it but keep that beautiful thing untouched. Why bend it, break it and mould it into something else? Believe me there were lot of people telling us to use the Blackmail number as our title track, but we worked doubly hard and tried to give everyone a song that has its own charm.

Listening to Sunny, it’s obvious that the Deols  have a very strong sense of conduct. Wonder if   Karan has the levy to bend the rules as and how he pleases? 

Sunny: Karan is very stubborn. If he sets his  mind to something, he makes it happen. Even when we were filming Pal Pal…. There were moments when he wouldn’t agree with my vision and if you thought he would quietly comply by what I was saying,  you are completely wrong. It was a headache for me but it is also a nice quality. If you believe in something you should try to make it happen.

Karan: I have to share this very funny aspect of our Deol family with you; so basically each of the Deol thinks the other is being very stubborn, the fact is every Deol including my Dadaji is stubborn. So whenever they are trying to make the other one see things from their own perspective, there is a draw like situation. When you will find my grandfather grumbling about his sons being stubborn not realising he himself is also being stubborn, it is hilarious for spectators.

You are saying it is hilarious but when Garam Dharam and Dhaii kilo ka haath – Deol might be at loggerheads it might be pretty frightening. 

Karan: You are letting their public persona colour your vision of them. To tell you the truth the Deol boys are not at all like what you see them on screen. My father for one is a very soft-spoken guy. He is in fact a man of few words. He doesn’t get into unnecessary arguments. I don’t think he has ever been angry with his kids. I was a little unsure as to how he would react when I told him that I wanted to be an actor but he was most chilled out. It was a pretty regular moment and a regular day. He doesn’t go around wielding that Dhai kilo ka haath everywhere.

Sunny: It is nice to hear one’s son speaking for one’s self! 

Karan: Told you a man of few words! 

And yet, it has not been easy being Sunny Deol’s son; we are referring to the news about Karan being bullied… 

Karan: It was horrifying, traumatizing and more…. seniors would randomly take on me, smack me around and even teachers were not really supportive. I think the only person who was talking me through it all was my mother. Dad used to be away for work so it was different with him.

Sunny: Frankly, I didn’t really get to hear it when it was happening. Rocky’s (Karan) mother was the cushioning factor, she handled it all. But it is not unheard of, I remember I had to change multiple schools as kid because of the same reason. It happens to kids of celebrities everywhere.

How did it all change? How did that shy, inhibited boy become a boy who could tell the world he wants to act? 

Karan: It changed when my school decided to have a talent contest. I signed up for it, and prepared a rap for my performance. It was a liberating feeling to be applauded when I let go of all my pent up frustrations of being referred to only as Sunny Deol’s son. Rap has been my constant since then, I love to write my feelings down, thoughts down… it is an avenue for me to express myself.

Is it this softer side of Karan that compelled you to make his debut film a love story?

Karan: I will let dad answer this one. I felt deeply for Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas from the moment I heard the script. I didn’t analyse it on whether my first should be an action film or anything like that…

Sunny: I knew he could deliver in action scenes, he has an inherent intensity which I think is very important for an actor, romance is something that I needed him to explore and our film was such a sweet simple script that it reflected Karan and Sahher (Bambba) perfectly. It is a today’s film in setting, language and people, so it felt apt.

Having a father directing his son is beautiful but do you have a wish list of other directors that you might want to work with?

Karan: I think Zoya Akhtar is exceptional, not only because of Gully Boy and rap being so close to my heart. She is one of those directors who has  reinvented herself with each of her films. She never repeats the genre ! From Luck By Chance she went on to making something like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, then Dil Dhadakne Do and then Gully Boy – what a range! She is not sticking to one formula which tells a lot about her as a director.

Sunny: It is unfortunate that I have not seen many of the new directors’ works. I know there are some out there who are phenomenal, but I would not take names based on someone else’s opinions. Zoya’s work I have seen and loved, so yes it would be lovely to see her direct Rocky.  

Didn’t you both worry about the whole Nepotism barrage? 

Sunny: There will be talks, there will be comparisons, there might also be criticism – one has to overcome it in one’s own way.

Karan: There is nothing I can say that will make me sound worthy, the only way I can prove my worthiness is through my work so I will let that talk.