Aug 29 – Sunny Deol is making headlines with the success of his film ‘Gadar 2’. After nearly two decades, the rush to his office to sign him up has resumed.
After all, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, and Aamir Khan are all in their sixties and rule the roost in the Hindi cinema industry. Unfortunately, their careers have remained volatile recently. The box office results of their films are inconsistent.
Just as the filmmakers are about to give up on them, one successful film comes along and offers them another couple of years of career extension. Of course, this achievement comes with the added benefit of inflated box office figures. Not only the general audience, but even fellow filmmakers get duped by these!
Sunny’s success with ‘Gadar 2’ was accompanied by some devastating news. Sunny Villa, his family’s home in the prestigious Mumbai neighbourhood of Juhu, was auctioned off by the Bank of Baroda for loan recovery purposes after a public notice in mainstream publications. Of course, the notice was withdrawn within 24 hours.
- Advertisement -
Sunny Villa has an illustrious history. So, here’s some insider info on the property. Sunny Villa, which is only about 600 square metres in size, was once a vibrant and lively location.
Sunny Villa is at a prime location among Juhu’s premium homes. It houses a recording studio, an editing room, and a preview theatre, as well as Sunny’s office and a personal suite. An open-air cafeteria and offices are located on the ground floor.
Sunny Villa was at its prime till the end of 2000. Bookings were scarce in the recording studio, which was in high demand. The front area was always packed with individuals of all colours. It appeared to be a who’s who of the film industry. It was a mash-up.
At least two films that I am aware of were planned and shot on the Sunny Villa grounds. These were producers who did not have a permanent address or an office. They ran their business from the premises. There were no tables or chairs, so everything was done ‘khade khade’. They did not only plan, but also finish their flicks.
One of these films was ‘Deewana,’ which launched Shah Rukh Khan to fame! Three wannabe producers met, planned, and completed their film for the first time. Vinay Sinha’s Rajkumar Santoshi-directed ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ was the other film. There may have been a couple more.
Sunny Deol was a sought-after actor who rose to prominence with his home production, ‘Betaab,’ a smash in 1983, and then solidified his career with another love story, ‘Sohni Mehwal,’ in 1989. ‘Tridev,’ ‘Ghayal,’ ‘Narsimha,’ and ‘Damini’ were some of his big hits.
In 1989, he had eight new releases, and in 1993, he had seven titles. The money flow seems to be unaffected.
The issue with male actors back then was that their palms were constantly open flat to accept whatever money came in. This was the ‘token money’ era. Every filmmaker sought out a successful star and indicated his intentions by handing over a couple of lakhs in cash as a sign of his appreciation. There was no documentation, receipt, or script.
Most of the time, this token money never turns into a solid commitment. There was no method in place to repay the money. Refund requests in the event that a project did not materialise fell on deaf ears.
Turning a deaf ear, on the other hand, will not work with a Bank of Baroda.
Sunny Deol has finally achieved success with ‘Gadar 2’ after a lengthy wait. They think that fate favours twice in a human’s life cycle. That is the Indian horoscopy belief. As a result, fate provides you with the ability to prevent and even erase past mistakes.
Sunny Deol recently spoke with the Hollywood website ‘Variety’. It was not his fault if magazines like ‘Variety’ were uninterested in Indian movies. Now that they’ve seen our film sector, it’s the first step towards attracting Hollywood’s attention.
But then there’s the ‘RRR’ narrative. The filmmakers were confident that their picture would be a contender among others and went all out to promote it in Hollywood film circles.
They staged screenings and ensured that some of the film’s biggest stars saw it and praised it. You’ll need to hire a public relations firm in Hollywood (not to be confused with how PRs work in India). The picture must be advocated for.
The ‘RRR’ creators spared no medium, including street signs. After all, they were selling a product that did not originate in Hollywood. That costs a lot of money, all in US dollars.
Sunny Deol said about ‘Gadar 2’ in an interview with ‘Variety’ reporter Naman Ramchandran, “It has become an Indian Marvel hero.” He most likely meant that HE had become one.
Well, the path to Hollywood will require more than one interview. However, if it works, he will be the Marvel hero.
