Sunny Kaushal: “My Brother Vicky & I Have Our Own Journey”

Sunny Kaushal Bhangra dancing in the dance extravaganza   Bhanga Paa Le is  in one word, extraordinary.

The  young actor who happens to be Vicky Kaushal’s sibling,  dances  the Bhangra like  a dream.

 “It wasn’t easy, getting the role and  preparing for it,”  Sunny recounts.  “Being from a Punjabi  family  I was familiar  with the Bhangra . Every year Vicky and I would be taken by our Dad(action director Sham Kaushal) to our roots in Punjab where the  Bhangra is a way  of life,” says Sunny.

Of course  training for  the Bhangra  professionally was another ballgame altogether for Sunny. “When I  heard the  role  I was determined  that  it had to be me, and no one else playing the  double role of two  individuals from different generations locked together through the Bhangra. I  was willing to  audition  as  many times as required. But the role had to be mine. Once I got the role, then began the intense Bhangra rehearsals.”

Dancing the Bhangra at weddings and parties is one thing.  Doing it  for the film to look like a professional was  another. “I had to look convincing and  fluid  and  committed and passionate and casual…the Bhangra is not just an expression of dance it is also  a form of emotional expression.”

Now after playing a  Bhangra dancer Sunny Kaushal has developed  an  abiding passion for  the  dance form. “I am glad  the Bhangra is getting its  due recognition through cinema and  cultural events.”

Many think  Bhangra Paa Le is Sunny’s debut film.

“It is  not,” he clarifies. “I made my debut with  Sunshine  Music Tours  & Travels in 2016.  Then I  played a  Sikh hockey player in  Reema Kagti’s Gold. No one remembers  me in  the first film because  no one saw it.As for Gold,I was  unrecognizable  as a Sardarji. I had to wait for two years  to get my second film. I’m not afraid  to bide my time. I don’t have to worry about where my next meal comes from.”

Being Vicky Kaushal’s brother, is that a blessing or a  curse? “It  is neither.Vicky and I have our own journey.  I am  just so proud of what Vicky  has achieved. Our father is  a selfmade man.So is  Vicky. I am happy to  go along with whatever  destiny  has in store.I’ve been  a struggler since  2016. I will continue  to struggle if I have to.”

Coming  up next is an intense  love story for producer Dinesh Vijan.

“It’s  titled Shiddat. It stars me  and Radhika Madan and  it is a very  intense  love story. Then I’m the main character in Kabir Khan’s web series  The Forgotten Army Azadi Ke Liye. Like Bhangra Paa Le,  Kabir’s series takes me  back to the  1940s. Come to think  of it, even my role in Gold took me back to the  1940s. I guess I’ve some kind of a connection with that era.”