At 57, Sunny Deol is back in action with Singh Sahab The Great. He tells Karan Bhardwaj how he managed to hold his ground for three decades without six-pack abs
Are you hopeful of repeating GadarIJ
We never expected a blockbuster out of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. I don’t want people to go with such expectations. Khule dimag se jaao... I am sure they will enjoy it. Anil Sharmaji (director) and I have always created good cinema. Be it Hero, Apne or our new film Singh Sahab The Great. The movie is a reflection of our present society and prevailing corruption, intolerance and misuse of power.
How much are you affected by realityIJ
I am as concerned and affected as any other individual would be. If I am an actor, it doesn’t mean that I remain unfazed by what’s going on in my surroundings. I am bothered about how society is moving forward. I can relate to the character since as a family, we are also very honest. We admit to our mistakes. We don’t want to hurt anyone. I have seen the complications of the real world.
Are you enjoying promotionsIJ
I have realised if I have to survive in the industry, I will have to join the wagon and promote the movies. I have decided to enjoy this process. I freaked out at Comedy Nights with Kapil. The scenario was so beautiful. There was no restraint. I am going to miss promotions once the movie is out.
Your peers of the 80s and 90s have now built six and eight-pack abs. You continue being the way you were.
I have always been myself. I follow my heart. For me being an actor doesn’t mean to be a man with six-pack abs or a great dancer. In most of the films, songs are part of screenplays. The character, not the actor, dances. And when the character dances, it comes out easily and beautifully.
What are the changes that you have noticed in industryIJ
Nowadays, the focus is not on being an actor, but on being a product. It is easy to sell as a product than an actor. And I haven’t become a product yet. That path looks difficult to me. People say it is the best time to be in industry because they are obsessed with products. Creativity has come down to bare minimum. For them, creativity is what is around them and they are picking it up. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was good because it has history attached to it, and the character was also there. But it was not perfect. Basically, we don’t have directors who could understand the era. Samajhne ki baat hoti hain… hamare actors bhi dhang se nahi karte. Six-pack abs and good physique don’t get you into the character. You need to understand the pain and sufferings of the character.
Your critics charge you for not experimenting with your characters.
I don’t agree with this. I have always challenged myself. In fact, I love experimenting. I am ready to change myself if I like some script, but I don’t run after things just for the heck of it. If I would have done Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, I wouldn’t have worked on six-pack abs. I am doing my cinema differently. There’s a film called Mohalla Assi by Chandra Prakash Dwivedi. It’s about the life of a Sanskrit teacher, and this film is not my mould. I have done path-breaking films like Arjun, Yakeen and Dacoit.
Does criticism bother youIJ
I don’t give importance to negative things. A lot of people write and twist the facts. I don’t like lingering over things. I just let it go. If I am wrong, I am happy to admit it. I don’t defend myself.
You continue to stay away from social media. WhyIJ
I am not comfortable with it. I don’t have energy to tackle it as yet. I plan to join social networking websites everyday but then, wonder if I will be able to live up to what people want — sit and talk to them. Will I answer to critics or concentrate on my work! This is a matter of responsibility and I am already taking care of my films, production house and family. Just because it will give me popularity and reach to everyone, I won’t do it.
When is your son Karan debutingIJ
I have spoken to a lot of directors. Nothing has been finalised. I will make proper announcement about it. My younger son (Rajvir) also wants to act.
When is Ghayal returningIJ
Nazar lag gayi… I haven’t been able to pull it off. I started its sequel with a promo but scrapped it due to some internal problems. Then I began it with another subject. Eventually, it didn’t turn out the way I was expecting. Now I am going to try it third time. I want to take the leap of twenty years in the movie. We have again started working on a storyline which looks very interesting.
Are you looking forward to direction againIJ
let me act (laugh). I haven’t directed any movie after Dillagi. But I will do it in next two to three years.