Now that Anil Sharma’s Singh Saab The Great is out in the theatres, Sunny Deol, who plays the angry Sardar for the sixth time in his career, is in no mood to mince words about the way the film industry functions.
"It's about time a film of mine gets well-received," Sunny sighs. "I am tired of the long non-happening phase. Unfortunately, I haven’t had too many releases recently. Some of my films are on hold. Hopefully, they’ll be released soon. But let me add that I don’t need to prove myself. I just need good cinema, the kind of cinema I believe in."
Why did he choose a co-star half his age in Singh Saab The Great?
Sunny laughs and says, "We are acting, we are not really husband and wife. If she’s much younger, that’s fine. Many wives are much younger than their husbands. And by the way, I am sure Urvashi is not 19 either."
Sunny continues: "I’ve had problems with established heroines. They don’t want to work with me. The top heroines turn me down whenever I ask them to work with me. They want to work with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan. It's fine. I search for new heroines, like Urvashi Rautela. These girls do not ration dates. While working on a film, I don’t have to deal with my heroine’s tantrums when she’s a newcomer. Also, I get a chance to give new talent to the film industry. So yeah, I’ll be seen with new co-stars in the future. And trust me, these new girls won’t look mismatched with me. I am open to adapting myself to the changes around."
Speaking of his affinity to Sardarji roles, Sunny says, “I don’t know how it happened. It started with JP Dutta’s Border. These Sardarji roles offer me powerful characters. Singh Saab The Great may seem old-fashioned to some. I suggest they move out of Mumbai and look at the rest of the country. Har kahaani ka apna rang hota hai. (each story has its own flavour)”
In the picture: Sunny Deol. Photograph: Abhijit Mhamunkar
