Sunny Kaushal remembers being initially apprehensive when he read the script of Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga. After all, it isn’t easy to humanise a character who is purely motivated by greed. But the actor’s gamble has paid off. The Netflix film, which also stars Yami Gautam and revolves around a couple whose heist plan goes awry when their plane is hijacked, has grabbed eyeballs since its release.

“It was supposed to be an out-and-out entertainer, without any social message, and people have reacted exactly that way to it. Ankit [his character] had scared me because he is so far removed from who I am. He is motivated by greed, and doesn’t stop at anything. So, I was scared how I would pull it off. But it feels great that people have praised my work,” says Sunny. 

The actor, who forayed into entertainment with Sunshine Music Tours and Travels (2016), got his breakthrough only four years later with The Forgotten Army (2020). Even as he builds an interesting slate, he has to sometimes face comparisons with elder brother Vicky Kaushal. But Sunny laughs them off.

“We began our careers around the same time. While he assisted on Gangs Of Wasseypur [2012], I did on Gunday [2014]. We’d go for acting auditions. The only difference was his first film, Masaan [2015], became a hit, while mine didn’t. When people say that my entry in films was easier because my brother was already working, I tell them that he was new at that time. Today, people have realised that we have different journeys.”