Sunny Deol's son Karan Deol reveals how he was bullied in school

One might think that being a celebrity kid is a ticket to certain privileges or entitlements. However, the experiences of being bullied in school shared by Bollywood star Sunny Deol's son Karan Deol night make you think otherwise.

Recalling his experiences on the Instagram page, Humans of Bombay, he said the first memory that he has of school is an instance of bullying and being embarrassed.

“The first memory I have of school, was when I was in 1st grade. We had a sports competition and I was taking part in a race. I was standing there, when suddenly a few older boys surrounded me. One of them lifted me up, and in front of everyone, smacked me down. He then asked me, ‘Are you sure you’re Sunny Deol’s son? You can’t even fight back’. I was so embarrassed.”

He said it only got worse from then on as most other kids would either judge him or make fun of him, and added that not even the teachers were helpful.

"It didn’t get any easier from there. Most kids would either judge me or make fun of me, and even the teachers were the same. Once when I didn’t do well in an assignment, in the middle of the class, a teacher came up to me and said, ‘You’re only capable of writing your dad’s cheques, and nothing else."

He wrote that he was supported by his mother and it was this support that kept him going.

"My mom was my only support through all of this, she kept telling me, ‘They’re saying these things because that’s how they are as people, it says nothing about you.’ And that kept me going. It was tough but I had to stand up for myself, and answer back instead of giving up and backing down. I had to understand that no one else, but me had the right to decide my worth."

He goes on to explain how he decided to regain confidence by taking part in a talent competition.

“I think my turning point was when my school was hosting a talent competition, and I decided to take part. I realised that this was a chance to prove myself. I spent night after night, preparing a rap—because that’s the only thing I knew I was good at. On the day, I remember walking up on that stage, and there was a sea of people, with all eyes on me.

But I took a deep breath, and performed my heart out. All the years of being bullied, of being ridiculed, of being identified as nothing else but ‘Sunny Deol’s son’, came out when I was up on that stage. The audience was cheering me on too -- I felt so liberated; like I’d finally broken free from the shackles.

It took time, but that moment changed my life. I realised that sometimes, it doesn’t take people, and situations, to make your life better. It takes a strong belief in yourself, the power to see yourself for who you are, and not the way others want you to be. You’re not made to fit into moulds, you’re made to create your own identity -- one that’s unlike anybody else’s,” he wrote.