Shiddat’s Sunny Kaushal talks about being born in a 10×10 chawl, says struggle ‘teaches you a lot’

Actor Sunny Kaushal, the younger brother of actor Vicky Kaushal, began his journey in films as an assistant director in 2011. It was only in 2016 that he made his debut as an actor and in 2018 that director Reema Kagti’s sports drama Gold brought him into the limelight.

Sunny and Vicky started their struggle to break into Bollywood at the same time, but the latter got there first. Reflecting on his journey, Sunny told Hindustan Times, “Being an assistant director was a choice. It was a choice because I wanted to learn how the whole filmmaking process happens and then I decided to become an actor.”

“About struggle, I think… Aisa toh nahi hai ki main aaj utra hoon maidan mein aur aaj hi main chhakke pe chhakke maare jaa raha hoon. Bilkul nahi (It is not like I am going to enter the field today and start by hitting one six after the other. Absolutely not). It teaches you a lot, gives you a lot of experience to be confident in front of the camera because that is a different beast altogether, when there is always a camera on you, to perform like nobody is there,” he added.

Sunny called himself ‘really fortunate’ to have gone through his own struggles and said that they are far from over. “I went through my fair share of struggles and I will go through it till my last breath. It’s nothing unique.”

He also talked about growing up in a chawl in Mumbai. “I was born in a 10×10 chawl when dad (action director Sham Kaushal) was a stuntman. Mom was in Punjab and they got married and came here. We were staying in a colony. From there, that was his journey that he has reached till here and earned so much in his life, a lot of respect and everything. Just like that, this is my journey and I am really, really happy that it is going this way,” he said.

Also read: Vicky Kaushal’s brother Sunny Kaushal reveals parents said ‘mithai toh khila de’ after Katrina Kaif engagement rumours

Sunny is gearing for the release of Shiddat, directed by Kunal Deshmukh, and co-starring actor Radhika Madan. The film, which she described as a ‘new-age love story’ which brings back ‘old-school romance’, will be out on Disney+ Hotstar on October 1.

Describing his experience of shooting with Radhika as ‘a lot of fun’, Sunny said, “Every day, shooting with Radhika was a blast. She is such a natural performer in front of the camera. As an actor, I couldn’t have asked for a better co-actor.”

Sunny also talked about his family’s response to the trailer of Shiddat. “They were the first ones to watch it. I think woh YouTube kholke baithe hue the, baar baar refresh ho raha tha (they were already on YouTube and kept refreshing the page, waiting for the trailer to drop). ‘Shiddat official trailer’. They absolutely loved it. Unke liye toh yeh bhi ho jaata hai na ki ‘apna bachcha, haaye mera beta’ (For them, it is like, ‘that’s our boy’), so they will always love it.”

After Shiddat, Sunny will be seen next in Hurdang, alongside actors Nushrratt Bharuccha and Vijay Varma. The film is ready for release. He also has a few more projects in the pipeline, which will soon be announced.