Brothers Inc

DURING his growing up years, Bobby Deol carried a photograph of Jaya Bachchan in his wallet. He was mesmerised by her. "I remember meeting her during one of papa's shoots and I was so happy to see her," says Bobby, still blushing at the thought. Bobby was a regular on the sets of his father Dharmendra's movies and he would travel with him to various locations. "I knew very early in life that I wanted to be an actor," says the 44-year-old. Elder of the two brothers ' Sunny, 56, was more of a sportsman and rarely went on sets. "I loved sports and being outdoors," he says. But destiny had it that he follow in his father's footsteps and become an actor. With his debut Betaab (1983) being declared a blockbuster, his base only strengthened .

The roles, however, seem to have reversed now. While Sunny runs the production house, makes the decisions and is more keen on launching a new kind of cinema in Bollywood, Bobby is happy following his bade bhaiyya's decisions. The two are coming together, yet again, in Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 with their father. After working together in Dillagi (1999), Apne (2007) and the first Yamla Pagla Deewana (YPD) in 2011, the two have become more comfortable with each other on screen as well.

"We love working with family," says Bobby, who plays a notorious character in the film. Sunny adds, "When we work together, we get to spend time with each other, which otherwise rarely happens."

The idea of the sequel to YPD came after the first film became a big success. "In Bollywood, it is very difficult to say why a movie works and another doesn't. But through YPD, we did realise that our fans liked to see us all together," says Bobby. Sunny is aware of the fact. But, he did not want the sequel to look caricaturish. Hence, he decided to spend a lot of time on the scripting process. "It was only when we were completely satisfied with the project, that we moved into production," says Sunny.

Both brothers have learnt the art of public relations and marketing. The once-interview-shy-duo today understands that it is a job they must do if they and their films are to be noticed. Sunny, however, feels the need to connect more with the fans on a personal level too. "I want a way through which we can spend time with our fans and speak to them about the kind of work they want to see from us. I am not interested in publicity gimmicks," he says.

In the last two years, Sunny has also taken steps to revitalise his acting career. He has signed a variety of films ' a romantic comedy with Kangna Ranaut titled I Love New Year, a political saga Mohalla Assi, an action film Singh Sahab The Great and the sequel to his most popular film Ghayal. "With Ghayal Returns, I plan to change the course of action in Indian cinema," he says. The younger Deol, however, is still taking it slow. "I am in no hurry to sign films. I have one film with papa called Cheers. I will sign more if there is a story I am really drawn to," he says.