Sunny Deol: Papa is my all-time favourite actor

Sunny Deol has recently set his foot into the political arena and will be contesting elections from a seat in Punjab. Whatever the outcome of the polls maybe, the actor who will be seen in Blank this Friday as an ATS officer investigating a suicide bomber, will continue to be known for his acting chops and his angry screen image. In a recent conversation with BT, the actor, also a producer-director, told us about the actors who inspire him the most. In a career spanning more than three decades, the actor has been driven by the performances of a bunch of artistes from Bollywood and Hollywood.

Talking about it, he told us, "Every actor has his inspirations. I have mine, too. The first actor on that list is my father, Dharmendra. Papa is my all-time favourite actor. And that is not because he is my father. He's a brilliant artiste whose repertoire includes an array of films. He's played some brilliant roles and he has been exceptional in all of them. He's my 10-on-10 actor. No one can match his versatility and his zest for being in front of the camera. In my growing up years, I was also very fond of some of Dilip Kumar's works, especially the kind of work he did at the beginning of his career; some of those films are mind-blowing."

Given that Sunny loves cinema from all over the world, it was imperative to know which actors he loved from the film industries abroad. Bring this up and pat comes the reply, "James Dean! He and my dad are the reasons I even became an actor. I watched his films and they just inspired me to become an actor. It gave me the impetus to join the industry."