Back to stardom - the fabulous year that Deols had at the movies

After a dull 2022, no one would have thought that 2023 would be the year of Bollywood and its actors. This year, we witnessed a resurgence of the quintessential Bollywood fun with movies that had everything from romance to drama and action and went on to become the highest-grossing movies in the Hindi film industry. Amid all the hits and box office successes, the Deols made a splashing comeback

From father Dharmendra to his sons Sunny and Bobby Deol, the year has been dominated by the famous Bollywood family, who had stayed away from the industry and limelight for over a decade despite ruling the Hindi film industry at one time.

The year has been a remarkable one for the Deol family. All three Deols - Sunny, Bobby, and Dharmendra - have made waves on the internet and at the box office. Their films were among the highest-grossing movies not just in 2023 but in the entire history of Indian cinema. Needless to say, this year will surely go down in history as a special one for the Deol family.

It began with the father- legendary actor Dharmendra, who became the talk of the internet over his viral kissing scene in Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani with Shabana Azmi. Then came his elder son Sunny, who returned to the screen after a long gap with the sequel to his iconic 2001 movie, Gadar. The film went on to shatter several box office records and became one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of all time. Finally, Sunny's younger brother Bobby, became the centre of attention for his performance as the villainous Abrar Haqh in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's film Animal and stole all the limelight.

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As we are all set to wave goodbye to 2023, it's time to look back at the Deol family's shining year.

Dharmendra: Rocking at the age of 88

Dharmendra, Sunny, and Bobby ruled the box office in the 70s, 80s, and 90s respectively. However, there was a period when their careers went through a rough patch, and their films being rejected by the audience. The actors had delivered some of Bollywood's most iconic films in their heydays, yet in the past decade or two, the family had taken a backseat and almost faded from public memory.

Director Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani not only starred the two leading faces of the present time, Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, but veteran actors Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi, who went on to steal all the limelight, and made the movie even more iconic.

In the film, Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi played old lovers who reunite after staying away from each other for a greater part of their lives. In the viral sequence, which was set in the classic song “Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar”, the two come face-to-face after long gap and share a passionate liplock.

The on-screen kissing scene between Shabana and Dharmendra became a widely discussed topic on the internet after a clip from the movie went viral. At the age of 88, Dharmendra suddenly was lauded not just for his performance but also for his first on screen kiss by the younger generations.

Gadar 2: The magic of Sunny's hand pump.

Gadar: Ek Prem Katha was an emotion that was very hard to understand by Gen Z- including me. Until we saw the madness people had for Tara Singh, the curiosity to witness Sunny Deol once again cross the border as a one-man army and take on Pakistan once again in Gadar 2.

The movie, with its years-old concept and a plot that was far from reality, may not have garnered immense praise from the critics. But it went on to earn much love from the audience.

Filled with heart-pounding action, melodrama, and romance, the larger-than-life movie went on to shatter several box office records. Made on a budget of Rs 60 crore (Rs 600 million), the movie performed exceedingly well at the cinemas, making over Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion) at the worldwide box office. Not just the box office, but the ear-soothing songs from the movie made all of us hum as it went on to become popular on the gram.

The action-thriller movie revitalized the career of Sunny as it went on to become the highest-grossing film of the actor's career.

Lord Bobby and his resurgence

Bobby Deol has made one of the strongest comebacks in B-town. In the ruthless world of Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal, he played the thrilling character of Abrar Haque, whose villainous looks, ripped physique, and killing personality made all of us addicted. The actor's role may have had limited screen time in the movie, but it was a comeback that he deserved, and one that no one had anticipated.

While the Deols have been enjoying praises in galore, what made them relatable is their openness about the difficult times that they have faced in previous years. Bobby went on to make a special connection with the masses as he talked about his roughphase when his career was not doing well.

Nevertheless, the Deol clan is ending 2023 on a shining note, with a roaring comeback, three superhits, millions of bucks, and a new generation of fans!