Sunny Deol’s Juhu villa up for sale after ₹56-crore loan default

According to the notice published on August 20, BoB has launched recovery proceedings under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, 2002, to recover the amount borrowed by Ajay Singh Deol alias Sunny Deol

Mumbai: Even as his movie Gadar 2 is believed to have raked in a business of over ₹300 crore, Bollywood star and BJP MP Sunny Deol’s bungalow in Juhu has been put up for auction by the Bank of Baroda (BoB) after the actor failed to repay a loan of ₹55.99 crore due from December 2022, according to a public notice published by the bank.

Mumbai, India - June 20, 2023: Building view of Sunny Super Sound at Juhu in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

According to the notice published on August 20, BoB has launched recovery proceedings under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, 2002, to recover the amount borrowed by Ajay Singh Deol alias Sunny Deol and has now put up the mortgaged property, Sunny Villa on Juhu’s Gandhigram Road, for e-auction on September 25, 2023.

Bids have been invited for the 599.44-square-metre property, the reserve price of which has been fixed at ₹51.43 crore. Interested buyers will have to deposit earnest money of ₹5.14 crore, and bids can be increased by an amount of ₹10 lakh during the auction, the notice said, adding that the property can be inspected by prospective buyers on the morning of September 14.

The Sunny Villa bungalow houses the Sunny Super Sound recording studio, Sunny Deol’s office, a preview theatre and two post-production suites. The studio is extremely popular for recording and post-production work. Industry sources said Deol had raised the money for his 2016 release Ghayal Once Again through this mortgaged property.

When contacted, a spokesperson for Sunny Deol said, “We are in the process of resolving this issue, and it will be done soon. We request no further speculation on the same.” The notice mentions it is a statutory 30-day notice under the SARFAESI rules, and the borrowers and guarantors can redeem the securities by paying the outstanding dues before the sale is conducted.

A hit with film folk

Until recently, Sunny Super Sound on Gandhigram Road, just a lane away from Mumbai’s Juhu Beach, had some of the best post-production facilities like dubbing, editing and sound recording.

Nestled in a neat corner, just a stone’s throw away from the residences of Shraddha Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty, the property also has a 70-seater preview theatre that is still a hot favourite with film stars keen to watch their movies in total privacy.

The Sunny Super sound building, originally called Sunny Villa, became popular because it was also the headquarters of the Deols’ production company, Vijayta Films. It has been with the family for five decades. While the post-production facilities are on the first, second and third floors, the Deols have their own offices on the fourth and the fifth.

A decade ago, there were rumours of the family starting a boutique restaurant on the ground floor at the back of this serene, white building. But that never happened because the compound has parking space for only three to four cars.

Inputs by Meena Iyer