Karan Deol Shares Harrowing Experience of Being Bullied at School

Karan Deol opens up about how he dealt with bullying and how his mother was a constant source of support.

Karan Deol, Sunny Deol’s son, is gearing up for the release of his debut film, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas. The 28-year-old has now opened up about being bullied at school, both by teachers and students.

Speaking about his harrowing experience to Humans of Bombay, Karan recalls his first memory of school. “The first memory was when I was in the first standard and there was a sports competition. I was taking part in a race, but before that some older boys came and surrounded me. One of them lifted and threw me to the ground. He then asked me, ‘Are you sure you’re Sunny Deol’s son? You can’t even fight back’. I was so embarrassed.”

Read his story here:

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“The first memory I have of school, was when I was in 1st grade. We had a sports competition and I was taking part in a race. I was standing there, when suddenly a few older boys surrounded me. One of them lifted me up, and in front of everyone, smacked me down. He then asked me, ‘Are you sure you’re Sunny Deol’s son? You can’t even fight back’. I was so embarrassed. It didn’t get any easier from there. Most kids would either judge me or make fun of me, and even the teachers were the same. Once when I didn’t do well in an assignment, in the middle of the class, a teacher came up to me and said, ‘You’re only capable of writing your dad’s cheques, and nothing else.’ My mom was my only support through all of this, she kept telling me, ‘They’re saying these things because that’s how they are as people, it says nothing about you.’ And that kept me going. It was tough but I had to stand up for myself, and answer back instead of giving up and backing down. I had to understand that no one else, but me had the right to decide my worth.  I think my turning point was when my school was hosting a talent competition, and I decided to take part. I realised that this was a chance to prove myself. I spent night after night, preparing a rap -- because that’s the only thing I knew I was good at. On the day, I remember walking up on that stage, and there was a sea of people, with all eyes on me. But I took a deep breath, and performed my heart out. All the years of being bullied, of being ridiculed, of being identified as nothing else but ‘Sunny Deol’s son’, came out when I was up on that stage. The audience was cheering me on too -- I felt so liberated; like I’d finally broken free from the shackles.  It took time, but that moment changed my life. I realised that sometimes, it doesn’t take people, and situations, to make your life better. It takes a strong belief in yourself, the power to see yourself for who you are, and not the way others want you to be. You’re not made to fit into moulds, you’re made to create your own identity -- one that’s unlike anybody else’s.”

A post shared by Humans of Bombay (@officialhumansofbombay) on Aug 29, 2019 at 10:30pm PDT

Karan then went on to talk about how the teachers too partook in this harassment. “Once, I didn’t do well in an assignment. In the middle of the class, a teacher told me ‘You’re only capable of writing your dad’s cheques, and nothing else’”, he said, adding that his mother was his pillar of strength through these dark times. “She always told me, ‘They’re saying these things because that’s how they are as people, it says nothing about you.”

“All the years of being bullied, ridiculed, being identified as nothing else but ‘Sunny Deol’s son’, came out when I was up on that stage, performing the rap. The audience was cheering for me and I felt so liberated.”

Karan Deol

Karan then went on to say how his turning point was a talent competition hosted by his school. “I decided to take part because I realised that was the only chance to prove myself. I knew I was good at rapping, so I spent nights preparing one. On the day, I remember walking up on that stage, and there was a sea of people looking at me
I took a deep breath and performed my heart out. All the years of being bullied, ridiculed, being identified as nothing else but ‘Sunny Deol’s son’, came out when I was up on that stage. The audience was cheering me on too -- I felt so liberated”, Karan said.

Apart from Karan Deol, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas also stars newcomer Sahher Bambba. The film is directed by Sunny Deol and will hit the theatres on 20 September.