Sunny Deol

Sunny Deol is an Indian actor, director and producer who works in Hindi cinema and is regarded as one of its biggest action stars. Born Ajay Singh Deol on 19 October 1957 in Sahnewal, Punjab, he is the elder son of actor Dharmendra and the brother of actor Bobby Deol. He made his debut with Betaab (1983) and built a career on intense, high-voltage roles in films such as Ghayal, Damini, Border and Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, winning two National Film Awards along the way. He returned to major success with Gadar 2 (2023), and in 2025 headlines Gopichand Malineni's action film Jaat as Brigadier Baldev Pratap Singh.

Sunny Deol is an Indian actor, director and producer who works in Hindi cinema and is regarded as one of its biggest action stars. Born Ajay Singh Deol on 19 October 1957 in Sahnewal, Punjab, he is the elder son of actor Dharmendra and the brother of actor Bobby Deol. He made his debut with Betaab (1983) and built a career on intense, high-voltage roles in films such as Ghayal, Damini, Border and Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, winning two National Film Awards along the way. In 2025 he headlines the action film Jaat as Brigadier Baldev Pratap Singh.

Sunny Deol was born Ajay Singh Deol on 19 October 1957 in Sahnewal, near Ludhiana in Punjab, into a Punjabi Jatt family. He is the elder son of veteran actor Dharmendra and his first wife, Prakash Kaur, and the elder brother of actor Bobby Deol. He studied acting before making his screen debut.

The Deols are one of Hindi cinema's best-known film families. Through his father's second marriage to actress Hema Malini, Sunny has two half-sisters, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. His niece Nikita Deol and sons continue the family's association with the industry.

Sunny Deol is married to Pooja Deol, who has long stayed away from the public eye. The couple wed in 1984 and have two sons, Karan Deol and Rajveer Deol, both of whom have entered acting; Karan made his debut in Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas (2019), which Sunny directed. Over the years he was reportedly linked in the media with a co-star, but he never publicly acknowledged any such relationship and has kept his private life guarded.

Sunny Deol made his acting debut with Betaab (1983), an immediate success. He established himself as an action hero with Arjun (1985) and won his first National Film Award for Ghayal (1990), a role that became emblematic of his angry-young-man image.

He delivered some of Hindi cinema's most memorable performances in Damini (1993), for which he won a second National Award, the war epic Border (1997) and the blockbuster Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001). His powerful screen presence and dialogue delivery made him a mass favourite for decades.

He returned to huge success with Gadar 2 (2023), one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of its year. In 2025 he leads Gopichand Malineni's action film Jaat as Brigadier Baldev Pratap Singh, continuing his run as a leading action star.

Sunny Deol's net worth is reported by third-party sites at around ₹300-340 crore, an estimate rather than an officially confirmed figure. His income comes from acting, direction, production and real-estate holdings built over a long career. He has not officially disclosed his earnings.