Charge of the young brigade

Gurnaaz Kaur

Acting runs in the blood of the Deol clan; the third generation now enters the industry. Karan Deol, son of actor Sunny Deol, along with his co-actress Sahher Bambba, also a newbie, is travelling across India to promote their debut film Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas. 

In Chandigarh on Saturday, the newest star kid says he discovered it quite early in life that acting is his true calling. “Although dad wanted me to focus on studies and do a professional degree, I knew it was acting that would bring out the best in me,” tells Karan. 

Tough childhood

There was a time during his school days when he felt too much pressure being the son of an ace actor. “I was so young and my seniors would pester me. They would say all sorts of nasty things like his career in acting is set, he will be signing his dad’s cheques or some days they would ask me to enact a scene from his films. I was a kid and knew nothing about acting. And that emotional trauma; the constant ‘you are not good enough’ made me go into a shell. I never let it show in front of my dad, but I confided in my mother.” As he grew up, he found some genuine friends and also his love for acting.

Shimla girl

Things weren’t as hard for Sahher Bambba, a girl from Shimla, who made way to Mumbai right after school because she knew she was born to act. But with no background in acting, she had her own set of challenges. “I knew nothing about Mumbai. It was all too alien, but what gave me the confidence to take the plunge was the happiness I drew out of it all. I’ve grown up watching the quintessential Hindi films, danced on those songs, sung them at school and among relatives. That feeling led me to give a shot at acting. After many auditions, when I got this break, I couldn’t thank God enough. As an outsider, I have been lucky to get training from Sunny sir,” says Sahher.

Daddy darling

Karan was ready to act much before, but he was not happy with the scripts that came his way. “Waiting on the sidelines was tough. That’s when dad stepped in. He not only took upon him to direct this film, but taught me some of the most important life’s lessons during these two years of our working together. He is a hard taskmaster; he is the one who can push my limits. We’ve come closer now, we talk a lot more. I don’t think there could have been a better start than this.”

From the first day jitters, to the fear of facing the camera when there is no one but Sunny Deol behind it, these newcomers say they have come a long way. Shooting in the mountains, doing all possible adventures such as rappelling, trekking for hours to reach a God-forsaken place, acting in sub-zero temperatures and much more, what felt like a punishment then is what these two are missing now. 

Up next

So, now that Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, a love story of the new generation, is set to hit the theatres on September 20, what’s next for them? “I am open to doing everything right from Netflix, Amazon Prime to playing a villain or a psychotic. I do not want to do something that typecasts me. It’s best to be versatile,” explains Karan. 

Sahher says she is in no hurry. “I am taking it one day at a time. I am just soaking in the joy of having done a lead role with such a big banner. I am also willing to try different things, especially dance and music, since I like them a lot.”