Bollywood is full of star kids but some memories are far removed from red carpets and flashing cameras. Abhishek Bachchan recently dipped into the past and shared a simple yet cinematic story from his childhood one that features a young Sunny Deol a horse and the quiet magic of stardom in the making.
Abhishek and Sunny Deol have more in common than their famous surnames. Both are sons of legendary actors Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra and both grew up in Mumbai’s Juhu area practically as neighbours. Long before they shared screen space or industry conversations Abhishek was just a school-going kid who admired Sunny from a distance.

When did Abhishek first notice Sunny Deol’s stardom?
Speaking on The Bombay Journey Abhishek recalled the time Sunny Deol had just made his debut with Betaab. The film had released recently and Sunny was already becoming a national crush. But for young Abhishek stardom wasn’t about posters or fan mail; it was about what he saw every morning by the beach.
Before heading to school Abhishek and around 10-12 of his friends would go horse riding near the seashore. And almost every day Sunny Deol would arrive there too riding his horse with quiet confidence.
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What made those mornings unforgettable?
Abhishek shared that they would eagerly wait for “Sunny bhaiya” to show up. As Sunny rode past them the sound of the horse’s hooves splashing through the shallow water would echo chhapak chhapak. The boys would stop whatever they were doing simply watching him pass by.
“He would just ride past us” Abhishek said adding that they were left in awe every single time. To them this was heroism at its most natural—no dialogues no background music just presence.

Why does Betaab still stand out?
Abhishek couldn’t stop praising Sunny’s performance in Betaab calling it unforgettable. According to him very few films leave such a lasting impression and Sunny’s effortless charm and strong screen presence made the film iconic.
“I have never seen hero-giri like that” Abhishek admitted making it clear that Sunny Deol had unknowingly set the bar very high for an entire generation.
Today Sunny Deol’s legacy includes blockbusters like Gadar and Gadar 2 with major projects such as Border 2 Ramayana and more lined up. But for Abhishek Bachchan the most powerful image remains unchanged a young Sunny Deol on horseback quietly becoming a hero one morning at a time.