Even Sunny Deol perhaps didn’t expect this kind of response for Gadar 2! After a lull period of over a decade for the Deol family — Sunny’s son’s debut film too had tanked — this stupendous success has brought him back in the reckoning. A much needed break for the Deol family.
Actor Sunny Deol on Monday said he was “stressed” before the release of Gadar 2 but the overwhelming response has made him emotional. The Anil Sharma directorial has become a runaway hit at the domestic box office, amassing over Rs 200 crore so far.
“I was very stressed, everyone is stressed about something in life because everyone works hard and they don’t want to fail. In my life, I’ve always walked on the path of truth and that’s the most difficult thing to do. But when you attain success, you do feel very good about it. When this film released, I realised I’ve God’s blessings. I was crying and happy at the same time. I met my father that day, I told him that I’m very happy and going crazy,” Sunny Deol said.
Excerpts from a tete-tete
Not a mass film
“Gadar 2 is a film for everyone, be it young people or old, or even children. It is an emotional family film. It is not only for the masses; it appeals to intellectuals too. So don’t lower the status of the film by describing it as one for the masses.”
On promoting Gadar 2 aggressively
“Gadar is an important film for me, personally. I have a connect with Tara Singh (The Sikh leader he portrays in the two films) and I didn’t want to leave any stone unturned. I wanted to connect with the audience because I wanted them to connect with Tara Singh.”
Changing business dynamics of the box office
“Earlier, films were made with loads of passion. Tickets were sold in black, exhibitors would make money while the poor producer would not get that much. Now, times have changed. Everything is digital and global. But the passion remains the same.
My father just told me the film is available on YouTube. That would be piracy. But nothing can match the magic of the big screen. All these platforms (referring to digital and OTT formats) are good, as certain things cannot be made for the big screen. Gadar 2 was meant to create gadar (revolt) and we hope it reaches far and wide, and does better than Gadar. The audience can watch this film wherever they want to.”
On the next installment of Yamla Pagla Deewana and Apne
In Yamla Pagla Deewana, our family came together to make people laugh. People have been asking about a sequel, but we cannot make one without a proper story in place. We do have a story for Apne — it’s a very lovely story about family values, an extension of the first film. Let’s see when we can take it forward. There were some actresses who were afraid to play the role of a mother, but now maybe they will do it.”
With inputs from PTI
