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Following years of struggle, actor Bobby Deol finally found success with director Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s controversial blockbuster Animal (2023), starring Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role, where he delivered a widely acclaimed performance as the antagonist Abrar Haque. In 2024, Bobby also ventured into South Indian cinema with his debut in the Suriya-starrer Kanguva. Currently, he has an impressive lineup of projects, including Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Daaku Maharaaj, Pawan Kalyan’s Hari Hara Veera Mallu: Part 1, the multi-starrer comedy Housefull 5, Alia Bhatt and YRF’s Alpha and Vijay’s final film before retirement, tentatively titled Thalapathy 69.
At the third edition of the SCREEN Live in Mumbai, Bobby, joined by his brother Sunny Deol, reflected on his career and newfound success. He also shared how his family, particularly his father Dharmendra and his brother Sunny, inspired him. He said, “I have been through ups and downs. I have also seen my dad, as a legend, go through ups and downs in his life. I think somewhere, I learned from that. Yet, I kind of started giving up when I was losing the battle. But my brother was always there; so was my whole family, including my mom, dad, sisters, and my wife, who’s like my backbone. So, I was really blessed.”
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The actor added, “But if you want to achieve something in life, you can’t just wait for someone to hold your hand and move you forward. You have to stand on your own two feet and do what you have to do. When I began doing that, I started moving forward and things fell into place. However, I don’t look at success. I focus more on the love I receive from everyone. I could be driving down a street, and suddenly, someone would come banging on the door. When I ask, ‘Photo lene aayi hai? (you came to click a photo with me?),’ they would reply, ‘Nahi nahi, aapko bas dua dene aayi ki aap aur aage bade (No no, we just came to bless you to go even further).’ That’s the best achievement for me in life. That love is all that I care about. Because when I was a kid, I used to see my dad at work with other big stars beside him. When people saw them, they would look at other actors with excitement, but when they looked at my dad, I could see only love in their eyes. That’s what I wanted when I became an actor. That’s the best award I could ever achieve in my life.”
Bobby Deol made his film debut with the romantic action film Barsaat (1995), which also marked the debut of Twinkle Khanna, daughter of Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia. Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi — who had earlier helmed career-defining films for Sunny such as Ghayal (1990) and Damini (1993), which earned the actor the National Film Award – Special Jury Mention and National Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, respectively — Barsaat launched Bobby as a promising young star. He then went on to star in several successful action thrillers, including Gupt (1997), Soldier (1998), Badal (2000), Bichhoo (2000), Ajnabee (2001) and Humraaz (2002).
Like his brother Sunny, Bobby also faced a significant career slump in the 2000s, leading him to step back from films and take a hiatus. In 2018, he made a comeback with Race 3, where he starred alongside Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor. Since then, Bobby has taken a more experimental approach to his roles, adding films such as Housefull 4 (2019), Class of ’83 (2020) and Love Hostel (2022) to his repertoire.
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