Sunny Deol Interview: I’m always open to working with people who come up with fresher ideas!

One of the most successful action stars of Indian cinema, Sunny Deol will next be seen in a light-hearted comedy film, Poster Boys . Directed by actor-turned-director Shreyas Talpade , the comic-caper is the Hindi remake of a Marathi film of the same name and revolves around a subject which no one can associate Deol with – vasectomy. Not just senior Deol, but his younger brother Bobby Deol is also present in this laugh riot which is going to take cinema screens by storm on 8th September. In an extremely lively and funny conversation with BollywoodMDB Reporter, Mohnish Singh, Sunny talks about his movie, the reason why he did not watch the original Marathi film and why he does not attend award shows. The actor also speaks about his journey in Bollywood.

Q. Have you watched the original Poster Boys made in Marathi?

A. No.

Q. Was it a conscious decision to not watch the original film?

A. When the idea was narrated to me, I was very excited. When it was decided that we are finally doing the film, I deliberately did not watch the Marathi picture because I did not want to get influenced by it because if you do that you kind of start imitating the character.

Q. Do you think that there is some sort of pressure on you and other cast members because the original film was a blockbuster and the same will be expected from your film also?

A. I never take any pressures because if you want to do good work, you cannot do it under pressure. I advise it to everybody that don’t take too much stress otherwise you won’t be able to perform well. Just give your best.

Q. How was the star cast for Poster Boys finalized?

A. I wanted to do a film with Bobby (Deol) since long. After the release of Ghayal Once Again, I was looking for a great subject to work together. Then the makers of Poster Boys approached me and told me about the success of the Marathi film. They said they wanted to make the film in Hindi and narrated me the whole story. I liked it a lot. It was then I came to know that Shreyas Talpade had made the Marathi film.

As I said, the subject of the film was really very excited, at least for me, because as an actor you want to do such kind of roles also. I don’t pay much heed to whether a particular character goes with my image or not.

So, the makers wanted to cast both of us together. They wanted to shoot the film is the shortest time possible. We were searching for a director. Since Shreyas and I were working together on Bhaiyyaji Superhitt, we had a great rapport. When he had narrated the story of Poster Boys, I could see he had the whole vision of how he wanted the film. So, I asked him to take the charge as director.

Q. Poster Boys is a comedy, content-driven or a satirical film?

A. Journalists ask this type of questions a lot these days, that whether it’s a content-driven film, comedy film or what. In earlier days, there was no one to ask which genre any particular film falls in. Films would release and become hit. Nowadays, there are innumerable terms to describe a film.

Talking about Poster Boys, it is a normal film. It is not about any serious issue. There is comedy in it because the situation is such where some characters stuck into something and peculiar things are happening to them which definitely make the audience laugh. The film is on a lighter note, but the issues its characters deal with are very serious.

Q. You are a very shy person in real life. So, did you face any issue while portraying a character like this?

A. I am shy but when I am doing a character, it’s not me, it’s the character which I am portraying. When I am in my character, I don’t hesitate in doing anything.

Q. After spending so many years in Bollywood and doing hundreds of films, is there any particular role that has not been offered to you but you still want to do it?

A. I really don’t know which role I want to do or I don’t want to do. It all depends on the tightness of the idea and the script and how the whole thing has been brought across to you. That’s what makes the whole thing exciting. I am always open to working with people who come up with fresher ideas.

Q. Do box-office numbers matter to you?

A. Any job you do, finances are very important. The working of the finances in our industry is not so strong because we spend so much on a project, but recovery is very edgy. That is what makes the whole thing go haywire. But that is always going to be there. But you should always believe in yourself. Your subject should be good, everybody should be hard working.

Q. Do you want to take the Ghayal franchise forward with its third installment?

A. Everyone wants to take their hit franchises forward, but at the moment I am doing a lot many things. I am concentrating more on my son (Karan Deol). I have just wrapped up this film (Poster Boys). I have a couple of more film waiting for their release. One film is stuck with Censor; I want that to release soon. I always wish to do three films a year, but somehow things don’t fall into place.

Q. How Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, which marks the debut of your son in films, is shaping up?

A. It’s too early to talk about it. When I finish it, I will definitely have a nice chat about it. I am just getting the whole thing done.

Q. How do you describe your journey in Bollywood?

A. I have loved it. I have no regrets about anything at all. A journey is something where you cannot expect everything to be very sweet. You just have to understand the value of everything and move ahead. And you have to be positive. That’s what I would advise to everyone. Even if something goes wrong, be positive.

Q. You avoid going to award functions. What is the reason?

A. I don’t avoid them as such because awards are the reason sponsors collect everybody so that they can have a nice program. I feel very shy being at any event or program. My whole issue is that they should not call it as awards. They should put it like this that “Come and we will give you some kind of a token”. Gathering people in the pretext of awards and some people even believe them is not good.