At the trailer launch of his upcoming film “Jaat” on Monday, Bollywood icon Sunny Deol delivered a powerful message, urging Hindi film producers to emulate the passion and dedication he witnessed in his southern counterparts. The action-drama, produced by Hyderabad-based Mythri Movie Makers, known for the blockbuster “Pushpa” franchise, is set to release on April 10th.
Deol, who recently returned to prominence with the massive success of “Gadar 2,” expressed his gratitude and admiration for the producers of “Jaat,” stating, “My producers are so good. I want producers of Bombay to learn (from them). You all call it Bollywood, but first refer to it as Hindi cinema, and learn how to make cinema with love (from south filmmakers). They focus and enjoy the subject, rope in the director, show trust in his vision, and leave no stone unturned in achieving that. The story is the hero (for them). I thoroughly enjoyed working with all of them.” He further joked, “I told them (makers), ‘Let’s do another film’. Maybe I shall go and settle there (in the South).”
The actor, renowned for his action-packed roles in ’90s films, emphasized the need for Hindi filmmakers to reconnect with their roots. “The south films retain all of those things and that’s how their films become pan-India. Every person across the country relates to them. I believe we should also follow this thing in Hindi (cinema) and get back to our roots. For instance, my films like ‘Ghatak’, ‘Damini’, and ‘Arjun’… We should make these kinds of films again,” he added.
Addressing concerns about the Hindi film industry’s current trajectory, Deol clarified, “Earlier, the producer used to like a story when the director narrated it. Then they would commit themselves to making it. Later, the corporates came in and then it became very commercial. In all of this, people lost interest (in filmmaking). Everyone became a victim. The people who had hunger (for filmmaking) were left behind.” He highlighted the creative freedom afforded to directors by his southern producers, contrasting it with the perceived corporate influence in Bollywood. “There is no misuse of directors. Yes, the money being spent is more, but it is because they want to uplift the scenes. That patience is important.”
Regarding the possibility of portraying negative characters, akin to his brother Bobby Deol’s role in “Animal,” Sunny Deol explained, “I won’t call it negative. I will just call it a character. If I get that kind of character, I would definitely love to do it. But the director and producers need to have the guts to do that with me… When I joined the industry, I had little choice. Even if I go on to do that kind of cinema people will say the work was good but they didn’t enjoy it. Image also takes over everything, that’s the problem with me. But I’m doing one-two films like that. If we stop measuring cinema by the box office yardstick, any good film will become a hit.”
Deol also expressed his desire to reunite with his father Dharmendra and brother Bobby Deol for a future project, stating, “The story needs to be good so we can come together.”
“Jaat,” directed by Gopichand Malineni (“Veera Simha Reddy”) and co-produced by People Media Factory, is billed as a high-octane drama with larger-than-life action sequences. It will be released in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages and features a stellar cast including Randeep Hooda, Vineet Kumar Singh, Saiyami Kher, and Regina Cassandra.
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