Born into an acting dynasty, both he and his younger brother, Bobby, have continued the family tradition. But until the recent success of Gadar - Ek Prem Katha, many were ready to write off Sunny Deol as a has-been.

    A man of strong opinions and forthright expression, Deol makes no secret of his lingering bitterness toward Yash Chopra, the towering film personality who has directed a majority of Bollywood blockbusters during the last twenty-five years. Deol describes his own experience working with Chopra on 1993's smash hit Darr "the worst experience of my life. I was sick of the manipulations and lies. One day in Switzerland, I was so angry that when I stuffed my hands into the pockets, I ripped the jeans I was wearing." (Filmfare, Oct. 2001)

    His anger stems from the way Chopra allegedly misrepresented his role in the film -- in which Shahrukh Khan's villain dominated the spotlight and walked away with the critics' kudos. "I'll never stop being angry about it. I hate being cheated in life. I don't forgive a director who's done me wrong on purpose." (interview with Khalid Mohammed, tcenge.com) Aamir Khan, who was Chopra's first choice for Shahrukh's role, lends credence to his claims when he explains to India Bollywood: "I didn’t do Darr because Yashji was playing games. He was narrating one thing to me and quite another to Sunny Deol, which I got to know. I knew all along that it was Sunny and not me who was being taken for a ride."

    It seems this anger also extends to Shahrukh Khan himself. From an October 2001 interview with Filmfare Magazine:

  Q: Do you have something against Shah Rukh Khan and Anil Kapoor?

  A: I've enjoyed working with Sanju [Sanjay Dutt], Jackie [Shroff] and Sunil [Shetty]... I guess that answers your question. It's not as if I'd never work with Anil or Shah Rukh again. I've worked with them, I know what they're capable of. The next time around I'll be more careful.

    Furthermore, Sunny has expressed open disapproval of actors who dance at weddings for pay -- a practice enacted most famously by Shahrukh Khan. "Only mujrawallis [dancing girls or courtesans] dance at weddings, not actors. I think actors should maintain their dignity. Dancing at a friend's wedding is okay, but getting paid to dance is cheap." (Filmfare, Oct. 2001)

    Still, Shahrukh optimistically maintains there are no bad vibes between them. "If he has a problem with me, he has never told me about it. Anil Sharma told me that Sunny has no problem with me. I don't know what Sunny's problems are with the people he has worked with. It's not my business and I'm not going to interfere. I feel if you don't like something don't do it and if you're doing something then you better like it. It's simple as that." (Filmfare, Feb. 2002)

   Perhaps the laid-back Khan doesn't mind Sunny's assessment of Shahrukh's role in Darr: "If you ask me, that was a very easy character to play. There was nothing to it." (interview with Khalid Mohammed, tcenge.com) Or maybe a little bit of public ribbing is acceptable between, uh, friends.