Sunny Deol with Sridevi: Champagne chemistry on screen: Cold water off

I'll give due credit to both stars on this; though they famously didn't get along, you could never tell on the big screen, on camera, in stills... 

Sridevi with Sunny Deol on the sets of Chaalbaaz

Yet another rain song for Sridevi. The much talked about Kisike haath na aayegi from Chaalbaaz. 

With the wet Sunny Deol, who somehow managed to keep up with Sridevi, despite being one of the worst dancers in the history of Indian cinema. Saw Jeet in the cinema back in the day and when Sunny paji was dancing to Yaara oh Yaara, the audience burst out laughing - Kiku Sharma still uses that as reference in the comedy show when he mimics Sunny. Well, they were laughing all the way to the bank as Jeet was a superhit and Chaalbaaz was a success as well. 

Only in India do we need action stars to be great dancers as well! I mean, you can't imagine Sylvester Stallone or Jean Claude Van Damme cutting a rug can you?! Well, there is that lol-meme of JCVD dancing in the 80s... cringe. 

Sridevi, Sunny Deol and Rajinikanth in the 1989 dramedy Bollywood Blockbuster Chaalbaaz

Sridevi, Sunny Deol and Rajinikanth in the 1989 dramedy Bollywood Blockbuster Chaalbaaz 

Above rare pics of Sridevi and Sunny Deol from scenes taht were eventually cut from the film.  

The Ghayal Party! Throwback to 1990 when Sridevi made a rare appearance for the Deols

June 1990; Dharmendra's home production of Ghayal releases - and the film fraternity en masse turns up to support the beloved actor and his son's (what turned out to be brilliant and popular) film. 

The film fraternity attendance was incredible - especially the leading ladies who turned up, dolled up to the hilt; from Rekha, Sridevi, Madhavi, Sonam, Madhuri Dixit, Dimple Kapadia, Amrita Singh and, of course, the film's leading lady Meenakshi Seshadiri. 

Sunny Deol's contemporaries, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Chunky Pandey attended, as did directors and producers like Shekhar Kapur, Pahalaj Nihalani, actors Amrish Puri, Karan Razdan with his wife Priya (the famed "Rajini" of television), among so many others! 

• More images in the archive here.
• Sridevi with Dharmendra over the years here.
• Sridevi with Sunny Deol over the years here.
• Six films of Dharmendra with Sridevi. 
• Six films of Sunny Deol with Sridevi 

Sridevi's comedic genius in Chaalbaaz: Sunny Deol couldn't match up or catch up!

Sridevi's comedic genius in Chaalbaaz: Sunny Deol couldn't match up or catch up! Sunny Deol's unforgivable quotes about Sridevi in Aap ki Adalat haunts us Sridevi fans. What an unkind and uncharitable thing to say about the great one. For someone generally reticent and quiet, to speak about a lady, when so many others have betrayed him in unprecedented levels, its a low-blow. 

Sridevi and Sunny Deol: Joshilaay, Ram Avtar, Nigahein: Superstars of the 1980s

Sridevi and Sunny Deol: Joshilaay, Ram Avtar, Nigahein: Superstars of the 1980s

 

Sunny Deol turns 68! Sridevi's co-star of 6 films

Sridevi and Sunny Deol in Sultanat

Sridevi and Sunny Deol on the sets of Joshilaay

Sridevi and Sunny Deol in Main tera Dushman

Rajinikanth, Sridevi and Sunny Deol in Chaalbaaz

Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Sunny Deol on the sets of Ram Avtar

Sridevi and Sunny Deol in Nigahein

Sunny Deol is officially a senior citizen; eldest of Dharmendra, the son of Punjab, turns 68! 

Above, Sridevi and Sunny Deol in the half dozen or so films they did together. Sunny Deol was six years older than Sridevi, but certainly didn't have her range of staying power or box-office success as the No:1 heroine of her time. Deol, an inconsistent actor--be it performance or box-office--has the most dramatic highs and lows in Hindi cinema. 

Son of icon, legend, superstar Dharmendra, the acorn didn't fall far from the tree. TBH Dharmendra's a better... well, everything. Dharmendra, 89, was the most handsome man of Hindi cinema, a phenomenal dramatic and comedic actor and a true-blue top movie star and box-office draw, who could really act. One of the greats, living legend... we are running out of aphorisms! 

First-born Sunny Deol however... well, he can be good with a great script and good director (Ghayal, Damini - ie Santoshi). Gadar and Gadar 2 box-office success boggles the mind. It paid homage to- and fan service of- Sunny Deol the star more than his (limited) thespian skills. The over-the-top acting, jingoism, over-the-top scenes worked but... this wasn't one for awards and critical acclaim. When Gadar first released and did phenomenally well, Sunny was genuinely shocked his movie didn't win or garner more accolades and trophies - his understanding of cinema remains stunted, especially in a world that had moved on and embraced change in Hindi cinema. Don't forget, Gadar released the same year as Lagaan and Dil Chahta Hai; era defining and changing cinema. Sunny Deol was still making formulaic '80s hits. When he came home empty handed after Filmfare, he blamed politics, film magazine's incestuous coterie, favouritism, sycophancy and games that he didn't know how to play. Well, two things can be true at the same time. He didn't know how to deal with Mumbai media, nor did he grow in the direction that Hindi cinema was heading. For 22 years between the sequel and the original hit, Sunny Deol had one dud after another, leaving his finances in question - and open for ridicule from other lenders and producers.  

Maybe the gentle giant can pass the baton forward. TBH his own eldest son shows little promise, but there's hope in the second son. We also have an inkling it will be Bobby Deol's son who's going to keep the family name alive. Nepo grand baby? Well, yeah. That's how the industry works.  

Senior Sunny will be seen in a handful of sequels, the ip like his 'dhai kilo ka haath' remains strong.  

Film families run the industry, but who will succeed down the line remains to be seen.

Dharmendra, Sridevi and Sunny Deol at the premiere of Ghayal

UPDATE;

Wow, Sunny Deol's fandom came at us today hammer and tongs. Please note, we have no monkey in this circus, the above is just observation based on statistics, and facts. 

Sunny Deol's Filmography Overview: Hits vs. FlopsSunny Deol has appeared in approximately 80 lead or major roles in Hindi films from 1983 to 2019 (excluding special appearances, voice roles, and projects like Gadar 2, which was a major hit in 2023). Based on box office verdict compiled from sources like Box Office India and film analysis sites, his career shows a mix of successes in the 1980s and 1990s, followed by a longer streak of underperformers in the 2000s and 2010s.
Key statistics (considering "Flop" as any film recovering less than 80% of its budget, including Below Average, Average, Disaster, and similar categories):

• Total movies analyzed: 80
• Hits (profitable releases, including Semi Hit, Hit, Super Hit, Blockbuster, All-Time Blockbuster, Above Average): 27 (34%)
• Flops: 53 (66%)

Percentage of movies that are flops: 66%For a visual breakdown, here's a pie chart showing the distribution of verdicts across his filmography:This chart highlights the dominance of flops in his overall output, though his hits (e.g., Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, Border, Ghayal) were often massive blockbusters that defined his action-hero legacy.Decade-Wise BreakdownTo show trends over time, here's a table summarizing hits and flops by decade:

Decade	Total Movies	Hits	Flops	Hit %	Notable Hits	Notable Flops
1980s	19	9	10	47%	Betaab, Arjun, Tridev	Sunny, Sultanat
1990s	26	13	13	50%	Ghayal, Damini, Border, Gadar	Zor, Dillagi
2000s	21	3	18	14%	Apne, Yamla Pagla Deewana	Jo Bole So Nihaal, Kaafila
2010s	14	2	12	14%	Indian (2001 spillover)	Blank, Bhaiaji Superhit
Total	80	27	53	34%

His peak success came in the 1990s with a near-even split, driven by high-energy action dramas. Post-2000, flops outnumbered hits significantly, often due to changing audience preferences and competition from newer stars. Recent revivals like Gadar 2 (2023, All-Time Blockbuster) the rumoured sequels on powerful IPs, indicate a return to form... but only time will tell. 

Left: Sunny Deol's tribute to Sridevi posted the day after she passed. Strangely, if you go to his social media, he seems to have removed the tribute thereafter. Wonder why...