Are you really Sunny Deol’s son, you can’t even fight back: Karan Deol on being bullied in school

Tribune Web Desk 
Chandigarh, August 30

Actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol’s son Karan Deol is all set to make his Bollywood debut with ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’, but before he hit the screens, Karan in candid interview revealed how he was “bullied for being Sunny Deol’s son”. 

The 28-year-old told ‘Humans Of Bombay’ that he was “bullied, ridiculed and identified as nothing else but ‘Sunny Deol’s son”. 

He shared how hard he tried to break out of his father’s superstar image. Karan said during a school event, some of his seniors “picked him up and smacked him down” in front of everyone and asked him if he was really Sunny Deol’s son.

Karan said: “The first memory I have of school, was when I was in first grade. We had a sports competition and I was taking part in a race. I was standing there, when suddenly a few older boys surrounded me. One of them lifted me up, and in front of everyone, smacked me down. He then asked me, ‘Are you sure you’re Sunny Deol’s son? You can’t even fight back’. I was so embarrassed.”

Teachers were no help either. Karan continued: “Once when I didn’t do well in an assignment, in the middle of the class, a teacher came up to me and said, ‘You’re only capable of writing your dad’s cheques, and nothing else’.”

Karan revealed how his mother Pooja Deol supported him throughout this rough phase. 

Karan said he broke out of his father’s image after he rapped at the school’s talent show. 

Speaking about the “turning point” in his life,’ Karan said: “I remember walking up on that stage, and there was a sea of people, with all eyes on me... But I took a deep breath, and performed my heart out. All the years of being bullied, of being ridiculed, of being identified as nothing else but Sunny Deol’s son, came out when I was up on that stage. The audience was cheering me on too —I felt so liberated; like I’d finally broken free from the shackles”.

Sunny Deol, has been juggling politics and films, is gearing up for the release of his next directorial, ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’.

The film is scheduled to release on September 20.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The first memory I have of school, was when I was in 1st grade. We had a sports competition and I was taking part in a race. I was standing there, when suddenly a few older boys surrounded me. One of them lifted me up, and in front of everyone, smacked me down. He then asked me, ‘Are you sure you’re Sunny Deol’s son? You can’t even fight back’. I was so embarrassed. It didn’t get any easier from there. Most kids would either judge me or make fun of me, and even the teachers were the same. Once when I didn’t do well in an assignment, in the middle of the class, a teacher came up to me and said, ‘You’re only capable of writing your dad’s cheques, and nothing else.’ My mom was my only support through all of this, she kept telling me, ‘They’re saying these things because that’s how they are as people, it says nothing about you.’ And that kept me going. It was tough but I had to stand up for myself, and answer back instead of giving up and backing down. I had to understand that no one else, but me had the right to decide my worth. I think my turning point was when my school was hosting a talent competition, and I decided to take part. I realised that this was a chance to prove myself. I spent night after night, preparing a rap -- because that’s the only thing I knew I was good at. On the day, I remember walking up on that stage, and there was a sea of people, with all eyes on me. But I took a deep breath, and performed my heart out. All the years of being bullied, of being ridiculed, of being identified as nothing else but ‘Sunny Deol’s son’, came out when I was up on that stage. The audience was cheering me on too -- I felt so liberated; like I’d finally broken free from the shackles. It took time, but that moment changed my life. I realised that sometimes, it doesn’t take people, and situations, to make your life better. It takes a strong belief in yourself, the power to see yourself for who you are, and not the way others want you to be. You’re not made to fit into moulds, you’re made to create your own identity -- one that’s unlike anybody else’s.”

A post shared by Humans of Bombay (@officialhumansofbombay) on Aug 29, 2019 at 10:30pm PDT