Sunny: Gen X actors are more interested in their looks than acting

Sunny Deol's Ghayal Once Again hits theatres this Friday. SpotboyE caught up with him at Sunny Super Sound Studio, Juhu. Excerpts from an interview:

Why did you plan Ghayal Once Again? Did you want to cash in on the success of the original?

The most important factor was my love for the film (Ghayal, 1990) and the desire that it should have a sequel. Plus, I wanted to revisit my thoughts, myself (trails off)...

So basically you're going back to your strengths... 

It’s not about my strengths, it’s about my beliefs. What kind of cinema do I believe in? What excites me in 2016? How do I narrate my story, how do I want my actors to perform? A lot has changed.

Have you changed? Is your storytelling going to be different?

Yes, it will reflect in Ghayal Once Again.

No major achievement is possible without its share of hiccups. You had two directors in mind for this film, -Ashwini Chaudhary and Rahul Rawail. What made you don the director’s hat?

Being the producer of the film, I have to be satisfied with it. For whatever reasons, things didn’t work out between them and I, the differences are irrelevant.

Your earlier directorials--- Dillagi (1999)  and Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (2013)--- didn’t do well at the box-office. Did that bother you while making this film?

Not really. I was only bothered since a long time that I was finding it very difficult to put the second part of Ghayal together.

How have you changed?

As you can see, I am talking to everyone now (looks around and laughs); that’s a big change isn't it?

Earlier, you would run away…

Yeah.

Why?

I have always believed that a person’s work should speak. I am here today because of my work; not because I have spoken about it. But now I have realised that the viewers look for something they like in trailers. Also, when a movie is about to release, people need to be well informed about it. You should think of ways to make your film a trending topic; to make it a point of conversation. Not that it will essentially translate into viewership, but it will definitely play on people’s minds. That’s when they'll decide whether to watch it or not.

How have you taken Ajay Mehra (Sunny's character in Ghayal) forward?

Ajay was a youngster who loses both -- his brother and sister-in-law. He realises what society is all about and how tough it is to fight for the truth.

In this story, he is in his late 40s. I started thinking about his relevance in today’s society and if people will accept his identity--- that of a former convict. In the original film, Meenakshi Sheshadri played a journalist, who is also Ajay’s girlfriend. In the sequel, you’ll see Ajay as the editor of  a paper called Satyakam. It’s all about how he fits into today’s society, which has progressed in terms of technology by leaps and bounds. 

But as people, we have travelled backwards. Today, we have a ‘jaane do’ attitude towards most issues. There are discussions, debates, candlelight marches--- but no action. There’s a reason for that as well. In this film, I have discussed all that.

But there’s no Meenakshi in this film...

That’s right.

Were you not tempted to cast her again?

(Shrugs) I love whatever I have made now.

How was it working with newcomers? Did it demand a lot of patience?

It’s been a great experience. The youngsters in this movie were just the way I wanted them.

Being an accomplished actor yourself, were there moments when you lost your cool while directing them?

You are not there to lose your cool; you are there to get your job done. Your goal is to make the actor perform. At least I didn’t lose my cool-- I was more interested in getting what I wanted from my actors.

Have you mellowed down over the years?

As you grow older, a lot of understanding comes into you--- but your beliefs and habits don’t change. I don’t think human beings change that much, they just absorb things and correct themselves in some aspects -- if and only when they realise that what they were doing was wrong.

So, you are still short-tempered...

(Smiles) When you are younger, you are brash and vent it (anger) straightaway. But later, you realise you could have handled some situations better had you not been angry. Let's put it this way: I have become more patient with time.

How do you view today's cinema? Most films don’t click…

It’s not about films clicking or not clicking. Everyone who makes a film believes that his/her project is good. Cinema is changing, because society is changing and we are a reflection of the society. So, whatever we give the world is what the world wants us to give. At times we overdo ourselves in this endeavour and forget our responsibility towards upholding morality. But it takes all kinds of people to make this world. Another aspect of modern cinema that troubles me is that the current generation of actors are more interested in their looks and grooming. There is no focus on understanding the craft or going deep into it.

Aren’t the filmmakers also doing that? Foreign locales, designer clothes… a lot of emphasis is on the overall look of the film…

They do it because they are allowed to do it. They do it because there's a demand for it (pauses).

Go on...

But of course, this practice can be stopped.

We never see you with a Shah Rukh, Salman, Aamir or Akshay. You have never been obsessed with the Rs 100-crore club. You don’t even manipulate box-office figures...

This is how I have always been ever since I entered the industry. It all comes from my dad, we are like this because of what he has taught us. He always believed in doing his job. The job, he says, will take care of other things.

Does it amuse you when the A-listers get fiercely competitive against each other?

We all become good, we all hug each other, we are all happy with each other. That's how we are.

Isn't this camaraderie, more often than not, fake?

(Grins) How do you know it’s fake? It's not fake from my side at least.

When are you launching the much awaited Deol, your son, Karan?

We’ll discuss that when I launch him (smiles).

Will you direct his debut film?

I have always wanted to direct my son. 

If someone approaches you with a brilliant subject?

I wouldn't mind him/her directing Karan's first splash in Bollywood.

Image Source: findpik, tmbd & youtube/vijeytafilms