Sunny Deol’s younger son Rajveer Deol plays the male lead in his debut film Dono directed by Avnish Barjatya. He talks about his role, the concept of stardom, on being a star kid, and about his father’s professional decisions.
Excerpts:
We hear that Rajshri Productions has taken a ‘new gen’ theme in Dono while staying true to its focus on relationships. Your comments.
I hate terminology like ‘new gen’. If you look back, you’ll see that there were people with traits similar to those in the present generation. This generation is ambitious, and it’s not all about sticking to a commitment in a relationship. My character is a little old school though, and doesn’t take the advice of his best friend to move on and get into another relationship.
What do you feel about ‘commitment phobia’ of this generation?
Well, people got divorced earlier too. However, I read an article recently which said the percentage of people living together is higher now. Earlier, people put up with a lot of things, which can be considered both good and bad. People put up with even toxic relationships at one time. But now, it’s gone to the other extreme, where people are running away from responsibilities. A handful of people may find the perfect balance. Sometimes it’s destiny.
Did being a star kid help you get this role?
I got to know about this movie through Mukesh Chabra, the casting director. We met Avnish. He narrated the script to me. I wanted to audition as I didn’t want to be foisted on to someone, which wouldn’t create a good work relationship.
Avnish put me into three rounds of auditions for different scenes and I did a monologue twice for him and his father Sooraj. They saw the potential in me though I was a bit raw at that time. I talked to Avnish about my insecurities and feeling of rejection even in school, and told him I could relate to my character’s emotions. He liked the sense of this character feeling lonely even in a crowded room. Two weeks later I got a call, and here I am!
What were your insecurities in childhood?
Though I was good at studies, if I day dreamed even for a second, I would miss out and find it hard to cope with others. Teachers labeled me as ‘stupid’. They would say, ‘He is a star kid. What will we teach him? He will become an actor finally.’ I wasn’t an extrovert. But I went on, even if people felt I could do nothing. It took a lot of effort to gain confidence and self-respect.
Are you dreaming of box office success like your father’s Gadar 2 for Dono?
I will be happy if I am accepted as a decent actor by the audiences in my debut film. And if it will fetch me more work, I will be pleased.
What feedback have you got from people who watched your film?
People have told me that I surprised them. You tend to put the same limitations on yourself that others put on you. I’m not expecting this movie to create a revolution, I’m hoping it will make people laugh, cry and talk about it.
How are you as a dancer?
I don’t know anything about dance. But I can do what I’m taught. I learnt dance for this movie, especially hip hop.
Do you feel stardom sells?
Stardom sells for sure; you can see that Shahrukh Sir’s Pathan did so well.
I don’t care for stardom at all. I agree stardom sells, but I have never been attracted to it, honestly. My mother has remained so far away from the limelight. She’s very happy. My mom feels I need to keep going professionally, keep improving on myself.
Sunny Deol’s last directorial, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas (2019) failed at the B.O. and he decided not to direct any more films. What do you feel about that?
I assisted on that project. I think he saw it coming. It was so emotional and so stressful for him to direct his son. My brother worked hard, did mountaineering camps etc. I think the story, and a lot of things did not work in favour of the film... It was like being on the Titanic — you know where the journey is going to end, but you can’t leave the ship.
