Now, I understand what my father must have gone through during my debut-Sunny Deol

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; September 18, 2019)
It is difficult to gauge who is more under pressure. The young star kid, who is all set to take his family legacy forward, or the doting father, who is directing his son in his debut film. But what’s certain is that both Sunny Deol and his son Karan have put their best foot forward with an honest film. Here’s how the Deol-duo feel about their first joint labour of love, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas (PPDKP).
Karan, you have a legacy to live up to — you are the grandson of Dharmendra and Sunny Deol’s son. Now that your acting debut, PPDKP, is all set to hit the screens, are you nervous or excited?
There is nervousness and anxiety. Honestly, amid so many things happening around the film, nothing has really sunk in yet. I couldn’t even celebrate the launch of the first song and the movie’s first trailer.
Sunny, are you anxious about Karan’s big day that’s coming up this week?
As a father, I have been nervous for over a period of time. I want everything to fall into place. Now, I understand what my father must have gone through (during my debut Betaab in 1983). You understand the magnitude of a situation only when you are in it. I am also excited at the same time. We have worked really hard on this film. Everyone does it, but it took us extra time because of the unpredictable and extreme weather conditions in Himachal Pradesh, where we shot the film. Besides, it’s a task to find a good release date.
Karan, with your father behind the camera, did you, at any point, feel awkward to perform, especially the romantic scenes?
I got so used to the process of having him behind the camera that it didn’t feel awkward. We had become professionals. I would just switch off, get into that zone and perform without thinking about anything else.
Sunny, what made you think that a romantic film was the best script to launch your son, given that Bollywood is experimenting a lot with storytelling and genres these days?
It’s my belief that this is the age when you are tender and vulnerable, and this lasts only for a few years. Hence, I zeroed in on this subject. It’s not that kind of a romantic film ki bas gaana gaaye. It’s a beautiful story with layers. People don’t call Gadar — Ek Prem Katha (2001) a romantic film, but for me, it is. Hum log bas naam de dete hain. PPDKP is about the meeting of two souls who have their own personalities. This is the right time to make this film because they know only so much about life at the moment. It would have been a misfit If I had made this film two or three years later with them (Karan and Sahher Bambba). They have many years ahead of them to explore other genres.
Karan, did dad ever lose his cool on the set?
Dad would be stern, but he never lost his cool. He is a taskmaster on the set. It would get difficult, but he was doing it for my own good. He always pushed me to give my best and grow as an actor. Since I am extremely self-critical, there were times when I wondered if I was cut out for it (acting). But looking back, I feel that he got the best out of me and knew what he was doing.
Sunny, how different is your equation with Karan from what it has been with your father, Dharmendra? Are you more like a friend to your son?
Sunny: When I was growing up, my father was shooting round the clock. I would hardly get to see him. We were a joint family and my father was someone we were scared of. We did so much mischief that we were perpetually scared of our mom telling him about it. I only fear my dad in this world, but there is love and respect, too. I care two hoots about anything else, but if my dad says something, I will always do it. That’s the equation I have with him and I am proud of it. With my son, I try not to repeat what we missed out on while we were growing up. Obviously, the fear factor is still there, but I prefer talking about things and not insisting that they should be done in a certain way. Even I couldn’t be around all the time due to my work schedules. Moreover, I think boys are closer to their mothers and girls are closer to their fathers. These couple of years that we worked together have brought us closer and we understand each other better. During the process of making this film, we tackled hardships together.
Karan: I am closer to my mother. Dad, as he said, was working and was there whenever he could make time. When you grow up with your mom around all the time, you develop a stronger bond with her and confide in her. I think I have become more open with dad after working together. I feel respect, fear and love for him.
Earlier, actors were very straight-jacketed, in the sense that the audience wanted to see Sunny Deol only in his action avatar. Today, with the kind of stories being told, an actor isn’t restricted as much. What do you think about this aspect of your profession which has changed with time, for the better?
Sunny: It is a great time to be in the movies, but I am still waiting for somebody to come along with something that’s interesting. As of now, the feeling is that people want to see me only do something specific. In certain films, like Damini (1993), I was roped in to play a guest role. Nobody, including me, knew how it would turn out. It went on to break boundaries. No one must have envisioned me in that space before that film happened. When I entered the industry, I didn’t want to do Manmohan Desai kind of films, I wasn’t a part of them. I did Arjun (1985) and Yateem (1988) because that kind of cinema resonated with me. I collaborated with new talent to make the kind of cinema I related to. However, after a certain point, I did not get anything different that would prompt me to venture into a new space; that’s been a shortcoming. Luckily, people still remember my work, some of it has become iconic, which I never thought would be the case.
As opposed to earlier times, there is lesser curiosity around the launch of a star kid now, due to excessive social media exposure. Also, do you think that oldschool die-hard loyalty towards filmi families is dipping?
Sunny: I don’t think it’s about loyalty. The younger generation is not aware of how big the actors of the previous generation were. Had I launched Rocky (Karan’s nick name) just after Gadar — if he was of that age — it would have been a different scenario. The change is good in a way. You won’t get preference just because you are a star son. It’s good in a way. Give me one example where a film has become a hit just because it features star son. A film has worked because of the content. Many of them became ‘somebody’ after a few films. In reality, it is a huge burden to be a star kid, because people judge you even before your film has released. Karan, did you also grow up watching your father’s films? Did you ever accompany him to his set?
Karan: Oh, yes. We would watch the premiere of his films. I did accompany him to the sets of his films, but I was too young to recollect the experience.
Sunny: I remember this one time when I was shooting a song with Juhi Chawla at Kamalistan. She had to hug me in one of the scenes. Karan was in the car and he started crying. He won’t remember it because he was too young. For him, it was more about…What is my dad doing? (laughs!). He was extremely upset about it.
Sunny, will we see you directing more? Would you like to explore other genres as an actor and director as well?
Yes, definitely. Right now, I will take a pause after three years of working on this film right from scripting to shooting. I can explore any subject. As a human being, you feel every emotion. I, too, experience all of them. It’s just that I have controlled some and not let them out (laughs!). You release them when you get a character to play those emotions. I don’t smoke or drink, but then I did Damini. I don’t know Sanskrit, but I did Mohalla Assi (2018). I didn’t attend any workshops, I just dived into the character. I enjoy the process as it lets another side of Sunny come out. But somehow people like the one that is angry (laughs!).
Karan, don’t you think that the Deol fans would want to see you attempt an action film, just as an ode to your father…
People have liked the bit of my action avatar in the trailer of the film. It’s natural of them to expect that from me and I can’t run away from it. Out of love, they want to see me in that avatar.