Sunny Deol has completed 40 years in Bollywood. In his long career, he has delivered many hit films like Betaab, Gadar, Gadar 2, Ghayal, Apne, Yamla Pagla Deewana, Darr etc. Over the years, Sunny has also been embroiled in several controversies.
Sunny Deol Controversies:
1. Affair with Dimple Kapadia
Sunny Deol has often made headlines for having an extra-marital affair with Dimple Kapadia. The rumors began in the 80s and often resurface even after four decades. Back in those days, Sunny Deol’s ex-girlfriend Amrita Singh had also confirmed his affair with Dimple. However, Sunny and Dimple never spoke about their equation.
2. Nepotism controversy
Sunny Deol was in the headlines when he launched his elder son Karan Deol in 2019 with the film Pal Pal Dil Le Paas. The nepotism debate was at its peak during that time and even Sunny faced the wrath of it. However, he seemed unaffected by it and focused on his family and work.
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3. Strained equation with Hema Malini
Sunny Deol has a hateful relationship with Bollywood diva Hema Malini. Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and had four kids when he fell in love with his co-star Hema Malini and decided to marry her. Though Sunny shares a good bond with Dharmendra, he could never get cordial with Hema Malini. It is said that Sunny blames her for their broken family.
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4. Gadar 2 controversy
Sunny Deol recently landed into controversy as he made a statement on Indo-Pak issues. During the trailer launch of Gadar 2, Sunny Deol blamed the “political game” for hatred between India and Pakistan. Sunny, who is also a BJP MP was criticized for giving a diplomatic statement while his film Gadar 2 has anti-Pakistan content.
5. Darr controversy
Sunny Deol, Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla featured together in 1993 film Darr. The film turned out to be a major box office hit but Sunny Deol was unhappy. Though Sunny played the protagonist, it was SRK’s negative character that stole all the limelight. Sunny Deol apparently felt betrayed and he vowed to never work with Yash Chopra again. During an interview with Hindustan Times, Sunny Deol said, “My only issue with the film was that I did not know they would glorify the villain. I believe working with trust. Unfortunately, we have many actors and stars who don’t function in this manner. Maybe that’s the way they want to get their stardom. I’ll never work with Yash Chopra again. He isn’t a man of his words. I don’t have good memories of him, he betrayed my faith in him.”
Sunny Deol didn’t even speak to Shah Rukh Khan for 16 years after that film.
6. Mohalla Assi Controversy
Sunny Deol featured in a film titled Mohalla Assi. It is a satirical film that goes through events like Ram Janmabhoomi movement and Mandal Commission implementation. In 2015, the film’s release was stayed by Delhi court for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. An FIR was filed in Varanasi against Sunny Deol for the alleged use of abusive language in the film. The film was even banned by CBFC in 2016. After several delays and cuts, it was finally released in 2018 but received negative reviews and failed at the box office.
7. Boycott by farmers
In 2020, the farmers in Punjab announced a social boycott of Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol after he came out in support of the farm sector Bills which was widely protested by the farmers of northern India. The farmers said that he has betrayed the Punjabi community when Sunny supported the centre.
8. Controversy for appointing representative
In 2019, Sunny Deol was in a huge controversy when he appointed a person for doing constituency work. The Congress blamed him for not taking his political career seriously and sending a proxy person instead. Later, Sunny Deol issued a clarification stating that he appointed his personal PA to represent his office in Gurdaspur to ensure a smooth flow of work when he is out of Gurdaspur. He stated, “I will do my best to ensure that I serve my people to the best of my capacity.”
Sunny Deol is currently enjoying the success of Gadar 2. The film has already crossed Rs 300 crore collection at the box office.
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