The long-standing feud between Sunny Deol and Shah Rukh Khan, which began during the making of Darr in 1993, has remained one of Bollywood’s most talked-about clashes. Years later, Sunny has opened up about what happened between the two actors and explained how he views his relationship with Shah Rukh today.
While speaking in an interview, Sunny Deol recalled how angry he became while shooting Darr. The disagreement was reportedly linked to the film’s climax and the way his character, despite being the protagonist, was portrayed against Shah Rukh’s antagonist.
Sunny Deol admitted that, in a moment of extreme anger, he tore his jeans apart with his bare hands. Looking back, he said he was actually angry with himself and reflected on how insecurity can sometimes influence actors and create unnecessary tension on film sets.
According to Sunny Deol, actors can only perform the characters they are given and cannot go beyond that. However, insecurity can sometimes lead people to behave in ways that are unnecessary, creating uncomfortable situations and changing the atmosphere between colleagues. He added that such situations are also a part of the reality of filmmaking.
When Sunny Deol was asked whether he and Shah Rukh are friends today, he made it clear that he considers Shah Rukh a colleague rather than a close friend. Sunny explained that the two were never really enemies, even during their feud. However, for him, people in the film industry are primarily colleagues. He said his closest friendships are with people he has known since school rather than people he met in Bollywood. He also says that, in his view, true friendship is the kind of deep bond formed during childhood, when people grow up knowing each other completely.
The tension between Sunny Deol and Shah Rukh dates back to the shooting of Darr, which was released in 1993. Sunny played the film’s protagonist, while Shah Rukh portrayed the obsessive antagonist. Reports at the time suggested that Sunny was unhappy with how his character was handled in comparison with Shah Rukh’s role. The disagreement surrounding the film’s climax reportedly intensified the situation, eventually leading to major fallout between the two actors.
Their relationship became so strained that they stopped speaking to each other. According to reports, the two did not talk for around 16 years and eventually reconciled years later, with their relationship becoming more cordial following the success of Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2 in 2023. However, Sunny’s latest comments make it clear that while there is no longer the bitter rivalry associated with their Darr days, he still sees Shah Rukh primarily as a fellow colleague rather than a personal friend.
