Mumbai, February 12 Riding high on the back-to-back success of "Gadar 2" and "Border 2", superstar Sunny Deol said on Thursday that the Hindi film industry has finally taken notice of the fact that audiences want to see him in theaters.
At the success press conference of “Border 2”, Deol expressed gratitude for the audience "hiding" during his quieter years.
“Where were (the audience) hiding all these years? It’s a lovely thing (that audiences are going to theaters to watch his film). I tell everyone to work hard, love your profession, and keep going, and don't get discouraged. Time is one such thing that comes and goes, and no one knows when it will return.”
"I am grateful and thankful for the blessing from Waheguru. Wherever I go, people greet me with so much love. I guess the industry also realized that if the audience wants to see me, then why not make films," the 68-year-old actor said.
Deol recalled an emotional moment in London when a fan touched his feet in respect for his portrayal of a soldier in the 1997 film, "Border".
“When I did 'Border', I didn't know it would impact the audience in such a way. Later, I realized how unknowingly we give good things back to society. Almost all of my films are like this, and they have some message. The audience enjoys these films when they come out of the theaters; they want to be like the characters," he said.
“Earlier, our films were also a reflection of our society, both good and bad… Now, we say it’s a true story, but earlier films were based on (true) incidents. Like, my father’s films, ‘Lalkaar’ and ‘Haqiqat’, from where the excitement for such films started. Then, I did 'Border'," the actor added.
A sequel to Deol’s 1997 blockbuster "Border", the movie was released in theaters on January 23. Backed by T-Series and J P Films, "Border 2" has collected over ₹426 crore worldwide.
Asked about the trend of filmmakers inflating box office figures in Bollywood, Producer Bhushan Kumar of T-Series said they have maintained transparency.
“Everyone has their own way in which they announce numbers. But there are certain things that should not happen, and the way (inflated) numbers are reported," he said.
“When we opened advance booking for ‘Border 2’, Sunny sir asked me, 'Is everything normal with our film?' We often hear people booking tickets to promote the film, but we at T-series don't indulge in it. I told Sunny sir that the numbers are organic," Kumar said.
“If you create anything fishy, it will be immediately noticed, and that disparity is visible. I’m happy that this is our real numbers film, which people have loved so much," he added.
Deol said he is excited about his upcoming slate of films, including "Lahore 1947" and "Gabru".
"Lahore 1947" is a period drama also featuring Preity Zinta and Shabana Azmi, and is set to release on August 13. The film is directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan under his production banner Aamir Khan Productions.
"Gabru" is an action-drama film directed by Shashank Udapurkar.
"I have 'Lahore 1947' ready for release, and then I have a lovely film titled 'Gabru', which I will release on a few screens. It's a character I love. It's a story about a man who comes from a small town to the city with the hope of doing something, and how he gets consumed by the big city; it's an emotional film," Deol said.
"Border 2" also features Diljit Dosanjh, Mona Singh, Sonam Bajwa, Anya Singh, and Medha Rana.
