Sunny Deol Danced Free; Dharmendra Wanted Every Step

Sunny Deol has built a career on presence, not on polished dance steps. So when choreographer Vijay Ganguly learned that the upcoming film Anthony required Sunny to dance in a festive Goa scene, he was nervous. He told Variety India that an earlier awards-show memory made it worse: Sunny had made it clear he would not dance.

Sunny said yes, but not to choreography

The song is set during a celebration in Goa, where the crowd calls Sunny’s character into the middle. Once the team explained the scene, Sunny understood it was a script requirement and agreed to join the celebration. But he set one condition.

“I won’t do choreographed dancing. I’ll do something of my own, something fun,” Ganguly recalled Sunny telling him.

That is exactly what happened. Ganguly said the actor gave it his all and danced from the heart, accepting the moment rather than the steps. The result is what audiences will see in the film.

Dharamji wanted the lyrics at 2 AM

Ganguly’s memory of the late Dharmendra on Ikkis, released in 2026, is the mirror image. During a song shoot in Pune, the team reached a stretch around 2 am where Dharmendra had to get up and dance with friends. Expecting the veteran to improvise, the crew told him to simply enjoy himself.

Dharmendra asked why no one had given him the lyrics, and why no one had told him what to do. He wanted to be taught the dance so he could do it well. Ganguly said the team was stunned, because Dharmendra worked through the steps late at night even though he was not keeping well.

The contrast is the fun part:

• Sunny Deol: understood the scene, trusted his instinct, danced his own way.
• Dharmendra: asked for the lyrics, learned the choreography, and refused to wing it.

Why this matters for filmi fans

This is more than a behind-the-scenes nugget. It shows two generations of Deols taking their craft seriously in different ways. Sunny will not fake a trained dancer’s polish; he gives the moment honesty and energy. Dharmendra, even late in his career, wanted preparation and craft over improvisation.

For viewers, Anthony now carries a promise that the Goa celebration is genuinely Sunny being Sunny. And Ikkis gains an extra layer as the film where Dharmendra insisted on learning every step. Sunny, meanwhile, has Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana and the crime thriller Suryaa: Ant Se Aarambh Tak on the way, so the Deol momentum is far from over.

Source: The Times of India