Actor-politician Sunny Deol is currently making headlines for his latest blockbuster film Gadar 2. The film is inching closer to Rs 400 crore mark, within 10 days of its theatrical release. The actor reprises his action-packed role of Tara Singh in the sequel. Gadar 2 has wrecked havoc in theatres and fans have left no stone unturned to express their love for Sunny Deol as well as the film.
Sunny Deol was among the most successful and accomplished actors during the 1990s and with Gadar 2, he has once again marked the entry of the actor as the 'superstar' of Bollywood.
Throughout the 1990s, Sunny Deol delivered blockbuster releases like Ghayal, Ghatak, Jeet, Darr, Border, Damini among others. Once, he was also surrounded in a controversy and he didn't speak to his Darr co-star Shah Rukh Khan for 16 years. Yes, you read that right.
Back in the '90s, friction between Sunny Deol and Shah Rukh Khan had made a lot of headlines.
What was the controversy?
The actors starred together in Yash Chopra's film Darr, which released in 1993. It also starred Juhi Chawla in the lead role. While Sunny Deol played the role of the protagonist, Shah Rukh Khan won hearts as the villain. He was loved by the audience for his negative role.
While Shah Rukh was still trying to make a place for himself in the industry at that time, Sunny Deol was at the peak of his career and Yash Chopra had given the Gadar star a choice to play the hero or villain. Sunny Deol decided to play the protagonist, however, when the film hit the big screens, Shah Rukh Khan's character Rahul, an obsessive lover and a psychotic serial killer, stole the attention.
According to several media reports, Sunny Deol had said in one of his interviews, "People loved me in the film (Darr). They loved Shah Rukh Khan as well. My only issue with the film was that I did not know they would glorify the villain. I always work in films with an open heart and believe the person. I believe in working with trust. Unfortunately, we have many actors and stars who don’t function in this manner. Maybe that’s the way they want to get their stardom."
He had also expressed his disappointment with late director Yash Chopra. "Since Yash ji was old, I respected him and couldn't say anything. I put my hands inside my pocket as I was very angry. Soon, out of anger, I didn't even realise that I had ripped my pants with my hands," he reportedly said.
