Ajay Singh Deol (born 19 October 1957), better known as Sunny Deol, is an Indian film actor, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema. In a film career spanning over thirty five years and over hundred films, Deol has won many awards, including two National Film Awards, two Filmfare Awards, two Zee Cine Awards and one Screen Award.
Deol made his debut opposite fellow debutante Amrita Singh in Betaab (1983). He received a Filmfare Award for Best Actor nomination for his performance. Subsequently, he went on to star in numerous successful films in the 1980s and 1990s. He made his debut as a director and producer with Dillagi, in which he starred alongside his brother Bobby. His critically recognized work includes Manzil Manzil (1984), Arjun (1985), Saveray Wali Gaadi and Sultanat (1986), Dacait (1987), Yateem and Paap Ki Duniya (1988),Tridev and ChaalBaaz (1989), Narsimha (1991),Vishwatma (1992),Veerta and Darr (1993), Imtihaan (1994), Jeet and (1996), Ziddi and Border (1997), Salaakhen (1998), Arjun Pandit (1999) and Farz and Indian (2001).
With his portrayal of an amateur boxer wrongly accused of his brother's murder in Rajkumar Santoshi's critically and commercially successful Ghayal in 1990, Deol gained wide recognition and praise. The film went on to win seven Filmfare Awards and his performance won him the National Film Award â Special Jury Award / Special Mention (Feature Film) and the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. His portrayal of a lawyer in the film Damini â Lightning (1993) fetched him several accolades including the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. Anil Sharma's ' (2001), in which Deol portrayed a lorry driver who falls in love with a Muslim girl, was the highest-grossing Bollywood film ever at the time of its release, and garnered him another Filmfare Award for Best Actor nomination. Deol's successful films include ' (2003), Apne (2007), Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011) and Ghayal Once Again (2016). These accomplishments have established him as a leading actor of the Hindi film industry.