Sunny Deol

Ajay Singh Deol (born 19 October 1957), professionally known as Sunny Deol, is an Indian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter and former politician who works in Hindi cinema. One of the most commercially successful actors in the history of Hindi cinema, he has worked in more than 100 Hindi films in a career spanning over four decades. He is particularly known for his angry action hero persona and various iconic dialogues, which have made Deol an enduring cultural icon of masculinity. He has worked in more than 100 Hindi films in a career spanning over four decades. Deol has won several awards including two National Film Awards, two Filmfare Awards, two Zee Cine Awards and one Screen Award. He was a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, representing Gurdaspur in Punjab as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party from 2019 to 2024.

The elder son of actor Dharmendra, Deol made his acting debut opposite newcomer Amrita Singh in the romantic drama Betaab (1983), a major commercial success. He had further box-office hits in action films such as Arjun (1985), Paap Ki Duniya (1988) and Tridev (1989), and gained wider recognition and cemented star status, for his portrayal of a boxer accused of murder in Rajkumar Santoshi's Ghayal (1990), winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actor and the National Film Award – Special Jury Award (Feature Film). His portrayal of a volatile lawyer in Santoshi's crime drama Damini (1993) won him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He enjoyed further acclaim with films such as Darr (1993), Jeet (1996), Ghatak (1996), Ziddi (1997), Arjun Pandit (1999) and Indian (2001).