Sunny Deol is a busy man, what with the sequel of ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana’ inching close to release. We caught up with the actor-filmmaker in between meetings at his office in Sunny Villa. The otherwise reticent Sunny appeared to be in a candid mood and didn’t hesitate to answer our questions. Excerpts from the interview:
The way you function has changed over the years.
(Smiles) Today, it’s important to promote your film; it’s now part of the filmmaking process.
What about your temperament?
Back then, I used to get irritated with filmmakers and crib about the things we didn’t get right. I was both loved and hated for being upfront. But I was just being myself. Today, when I watch my movies online, I feel they are looking nice in totality. At that time though, I never felt so. However, I still get angry even today (laughs).
Why has there been no connect between you and actors who came after you like Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan?
I am happy with my family and my colleagues and want to continue making my own kind of cinema. I have never belonged to any camp and have no friends in the industry. Most of them will pay lip service but when it comes to doing, they tend to shy away.
Reportedly, there was trouble during the making of Darr but now, YRF has bought the audio rights of your film. Looks like times are changing
(Serious) Things change over a period of time. At that moment, you tend to be brash. From my point of view, I was right. On their part, they may have been right. Whatever the case, I don’t want to dig into the past now. We have all moved ahead. As things stand, they are doing my music and I am hoping they will do a good job.
But things had soured between YRF and you for quite some time.
As old people say, things get better with time, time heals all wounds. I am the kind of person who has always done what he wanted to. If they had wanted to work with me, they could have approached me- that’s not the issue here. At one time, late Yash-ji too wanted to do two to three films but somehow, I am not the kind to do too many things at the same time. I like to take it slow and steady.
But why are you suddenly making a sequel now? Is it because it has become the trend?
No. While I always thought of making sequels to movies like Ghayal, the filmmakers would almost always veto the idea. I used to watch a lot of Hollywood movies and loved the way certain characters kept coming up in further installments of the franchise. However, things are changing for the better now.
Do you want to stick to your image?
No, I don’t want clapping… I want a good script… the action image was all about a man who doesn’t give in and stands by his family and friends. It’s now more about a normal man and what he wants…
What about Ghayal 2?
I will change the definition of action with that sequel. One should feel the pain when the hero falls and I am going to achieve that. Ghayal 2 is not about the ‘dhai kilo ka haath’. It’s about inner strength.
