Full stop to pit stop dream

Sunny Deol reveals F1 racing passion remained incomplete due to father Dharmendra’s protective nature 

Bollywood star Sunny Deol opened up on his lesser-known dream which remained unfulfilled, because of his superstar father Dharmendra.  The actor, during his appearance on the quiz reality show Kaun Banega Crorepati, revealed that he once had aspired to become a professional Formula 1 racing driver.

During the conversation, host Amitabh Bachchan asked Sunny about his interest in racing, saying, “Sunny ji humne sunna hai ki aap ek racing driver hona chahtein the? Formula 1 wagera..” (Sunny, we heard that you wanted to be a racing driver? Formula 1?)

Sunny recalled his passion for driving and revealed that his father, veteran actor Dharmendra, was extremely protective of him and did not allow him to pursue sports or activities that he considered risky.

“Haan, mujhe aise bahot shauk the, driving ka to bahut shauk tha, jaise aap jaante hi hain, papa humarein ghar mai kahi bhi, kuch bhi aisey kuch karna chahein, whether we want to do sports or anything, at that time because of protection. Ijjazat nahin milti thi.. so beech mein hi rehgaya.”

(Yes, I had a passion for such things. I was particularly passionate about driving. But as you know, in our house, whenever we wanted to pursue sports or anything like that, because of father’s protective nature... we didn't get permission. So that dream just remained incomplete)

Sunny was joined by his Batwara 1947 team members, including Aamir Khan and Preity Zinta, on the episode.

While the actor with dhaai kilo ka haath could not pursue his dream of building a career in cars and racing, he did manage to emerge as one of Bollywood’s most celebrated action stars.

He made his debut with Betaab (1983). He went on to establish himself with films like Tridev (1989), Ghayal (1990), Damini (1993), Border (1997) and his performance as Tara Singh in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001) remains a fan favourite even today.