Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Bollywood star Sunny Deol’s inspiring words as he reveals he has dyslexia

Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that mainly causes problems with reading, writing and spelling

Faiza Saqib
Tuesday 12 December 2023 05:46 GMT
Comments
Bollywood’s Deepika Padukone discusses battle with depression

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Bollywood icon Sunny Deol has spoken movingly about his battle with dyslexia.

The Gadar 2 actor revealed he’s had the learning disorder from a young age and often finds it difficult to memorise lines while on set.

The star told The India Express that he cannot read or write properly, and shed light on the challenges he faced while still at school.

“Earlier, we didn’t know what it was, and people would think…’ki yeh duffer aadmi hai’ [he’s an idiot],” Doel said.

Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that mainly causes problems with reading, writing and spelling.

It is estimated that 1 in 10 people have it, with roughly 780 million living with the learning difficulty globally.

On set, Doel said he reads his lines multiple times before he goes in front of a camera.

Sunny Doel opens up about his battle with dyslexia
Sunny Doel opens up about his battle with dyslexia (AFP via Getty Images)

“I always get my dialogues in Hindi, and I take my time to read it,” he added. “I read them many times and make them my own. That is my prep for the part.”

Earlier this year, speaking to Ranveer Allahbadia, Doel also shared how he would often get “slapped” for not getting high grades during his studies.

He said: “Back then, we didn’t even know what that meant! Thappad padte the, duffer hai, padhai nahi aati [I would get slapped, called duffer for not being able to study].

“Even now when it comes to reading, sometimes the words seem all jumbled up. Often people say to use a teleprompter [at public gathering] but I refuse! I am like, ‘You tell me what to say, I will try to say it.’”

Doel’s latest movie, Gadar 2, became the highest-grossing Hindi film. The period drama was directed by Anil Sharma and also features Ameesha Patel.

The movie is a sequel to the hit film Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, which was released in 2001.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in