Sunny Deol's travel kit includes badminton court and gym, says co-star. He names another star who is also 'like a king'

As the Hindi film industry grapples with ballooning production expenses and an increasing number of underperforming movies, one issue at the center of the conversation is the cost associated with celebrity entourages. From personal trainers and chefs to stylists and equipment haulers, the teams that accompany A-list actors are often seen as a major financial strain on filmmakers. While some view this as a modern indulgence, actor Puneet Issar offered a fresh perspective during a recent conversation with host Siddharth Kannan, where he reminisced about his time working with Sunny Deol.

A Throwback to 1997: Sunny Deol’s Grand Travel Style

Speaking about their experience shooting the iconic war film Border, which hit theatres in 1997, Puneet Issar recalled how Sunny Deol always maintained a larger-than-life presence, even during work trips. Issar shared that Deol would travel with an impressive convoy that included a truck filled with his belongings. This wasn’t a recent phenomenon, Issar emphasized—it’s been Deol’s style for decades.

“Sunny raja aadmi hai. Voh jahan jaata hai raja ki tarah jata hai. Uska pura entourage chalta hai. Uske cooks bhi aayenge, badminton ka court bhi hoga, pura gym jayega. (Sunny is a king. He travels like a king. His entourage travels with him. His cooks also accompany him, his badminton court will also be there, the entire gym set up will also be with him),” he said.

Issar humorously recalled that Sunny never traveled lightly. Whether it was his personal cooks, a portable badminton court, or a complete gym setup, everything accompanied the actor. “Sunny is like king, like an emperor. That’s the way Sunny Deol is..." Issar said, describing Sunny’s approach as regal, likening him to a monarch who never leaves comfort behind, no matter where the shoot location is.

Generosity Behind The Grandeur

While the scale of Deol’s travel arrangements might suggest extravagance, Issar pointed out a lesser-known fact: Sunny Deol never made the production crew bear the financial burden. He managed these luxuries himself. In fact, he was so considerate that he would often offer fellow cast members the option to load their items onto his truck, ensuring others could benefit from the logistics he had already arranged.

Issar lauded this gesture, describing it as characteristic of Deol’s generous nature. “He’s always been king-like—not just in how he travels, but in how he treats others,” he explained.

Not a New Trend: Stars Have Always Had Their Teams

When asked about the ongoing debate regarding the budgetary impact of celebrities’ entourages, Issar remarked that the presence of support teams isn’t a new trend. He pointed to veteran actors such as Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, and Dilip Kumar—who, according to him, always had their preferred crew around them. However, what made a difference back then was the way expenses were managed. Stars like Deol and Salman Khan often paid for their own needs instead of passing the costs onto film producers.

Director Anurag Kashyap Raises Concerns Over Modern Practices

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap echoed similar concerns in a previous discussion with Humans of Cinema. He criticized the growing culture of excessive spending—not on the creative process but on peripheral comforts. Kashyap highlighted instances where elaborate demands overshadowed filmmaking. He shared how during remote shoots, special vehicles were sent to urban centers just to fetch gourmet meals for stars. According to him, this shift in focus from craft to comfort is undermining the essence of filmmaking.

Sunny Deol’s Recent And Upcoming Work

On the professional front, Sunny Deol was recently seen in the action thriller Jaat, which earned a moderate box office success, collecting Rs 119 crore against a production cost of Rs 100 crore. Looking ahead, Deol is set to appear in Lahore 1947, and a sequel to Border, tentatively titled Border 2, is also in the pipeline. As discussions around budgets and stardom continue, Deol’s legacy as a larger-than-life figure, both on and off-screen, continues to make headlines.