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Sunny.
Period Deol. Period
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 While
Aamir Khan is busy touring the country, promoting
his first film as a producer, ('Lagaan'), Sunny Deol,
the hero of 'Gadar--Ek Prem Katha', that is going to
be released head on with 'Lagaan', is very confident
about his film's fortunes. So confident, in fact, is
he about 'Gadar' that he is planning one more period
film, this time by his home production outfit,
Vijeyta Films, with brother Bobby. This film will
focus on the freedom fighters Chandrashekhar Azad
and Bhagat Singh. While Sunny plans to play the role
of Azad, Bobby will take on the role of Bhagat
Singh. But first he wants to see how the public
responds to 'Gadar'.
Sunny, who turned director with 'Dillagi', which did
not do well at the box-office, is now planning to
step on the pedal as a producer. He is already
working on two home productions, one of which
('Indian') is set for release in August, The other,
'Deva', has already been launched. In addition,
Sunny has finalized two more projects, one with
director Raj Kanwar and another with newcomer
Imtiyaz. He is also considering doing a film with
father Dharmendra as the lead actor along with Bobby
or himself.
 Sunny,
who has just returned to New Delhi after completing
a shoot of 'Jaal--The Trap' in Shimla, knows that
the responsibility for carrying 'Gadar' rests on his
shoulders. He says, "I have full confidence in
this film. It's going to touch everybody's heart.
It's made as a family film and everybody who is
going to see it is just going to love it. I know
that there have been apprehensions about these two
films getting released together, but we have just
stuck to our pre-fixed dates. It is only that 'Lagaan'
got postponed by two weeks, and ended up sharing the
release date with us."
Sunny sees "a vast change taking place in
the Hindi cinema audience's taste, with people
willing to experiment and see something new."
He says, "We have a lot of things in our
history that are still untold. We know our idols
from the past, as they feature in our history books.
Their human sides, however, have not been properly
delineated. There is a lot of scope for films on
such subjects. That is why I have planned a film on
the relationships between Bhagat Singh and Azad.
These martyrs sacrificed their lives for the
country, but the details about their lives are not
widely known. That's why I want to make this film,
to make people aware of their sacrifices for the
country. I am looking forward to playing the role of
Azad, while Bobby will play Bhagat Singh. This film
is still in the realm of idea though and it will
take some time and effort to bring it to fruition. I
hope to start on it after completing 'Deva'."
 After
'Gadar', Sunny's home production, 'Indian', directed
by Maharajan, is slated for release in August. Then
there are films like 'Karz', 'Maa Tujhe Salam' and 'Deva'.
"Deva is in a very initial stage. We have just
finalized the script. Now I have to finalize the
cast. A hunt is on for the heroine. 'Dillagi' has
taught me not to look for perfection every time. It
is lacunae only that make us human. If we were
perfect, then we would be like the Gods. From now
on, as a producer I am going to work very fast. In
fact, I have finalized two more projects for
Vijeyata Films. On one film I am working with Raj
Kanwar, who is already seeing to the script. Bobby
will be hero of this film. The other film that I
have finalized just yesterday is with newcomer
Imtiyaz. With it, I am going to launch my cousin,
Abhay Deol."
Sunny is not very happy with the current trend of
filmmaking as he feels that most people are in the
business just to make money. 'These people do not
bother about their status. They will do anything for
money. They will dance at parties and still claim to
be superstars. There are producers and directors who
see their films as a product and publicize them like
soaps and shampoos. I cannot understand what's going
on. These things frustrate me a lot. But I suppose
in today's age you have to live with all this."
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