Sunny Deol says he and Rajkumar Santoshi planned to make films on Ashoka the Great and Prithviraj Chauhan in early 2000s; reveals why the plan NEVER materialized: “Producers did not consider us SALEABLE”
Sunny Deol first worked with Rajkumar Santoshi in Ghayal (1990), which turned out to be a blockbuster and one of the most loved films of all time. Three years later, they reunited for Damini (1993). It featured Sunny in a supporting role and yet, the actor stole the thunder from all the others with his performances and fiery dialogues. In the next film, Ghatak (1996), Sunny once again played the lead and like the previous two films, the action entertainer was also a smashing hit.
After working in three films in 6 years, Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi never collaborated again until Batwara 1947. This partition saga releases nearly 30 years after Ghatak. At a group interview, Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi were asked about this and whether they tried making any film in the interim.
Sunny Deol revealed, “We had been trying to do a film together for quite some time. In the early 2000s, Raj narrated a script on Ashoka the Great to me. We also wanted to make a film on Prithviraj Chauhan, but neither project materialized. The producers did not consider us saleable at the time, and hence, the films could not take off.”
He continued, “Meanwhile, Gadar 2 (2023) worked and then we got another opportunity to collaborate. We had the story of Batwara 1947 since 2010. However, no one was ready to produce. Meanwhile, Aamir Khan came on board as a producer; he had heard the subject much earlier. That’s how things fell into place.”
At another point in the conversation, Rajkumar Santoshi remarked, “The film has to be engaging and entertaining for it to work. Hum message dene ke liye film nahin bana rahe hain. The film’s foremost purpose must be to entertain. The story of Batwara 1947 is emotional, and you’ll get so lost in the characters that you won’t realize ki yeh Hindu hai ya Musalman hai. Aap insaan ko dekhte hai. An incident takes place with a human being in the film and how he deals with it.”
Batwara 1947 releases in cinemas on August 14.
Also Read: Preity Zinta reveals Rajkumar Santoshi ‘TORTURED’ her on Day 1 of Batwara 1947: “He made me shoot the MOST difficult scene”; opens up on seeing Sunny Deol ‘LOSING it’ for a scene: “All of us were SHAKING!”
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