Sunny Deol has been part of several blockbuster films in his four-decade long career. While the actor has played the lead role in most of these films, he has also produced and directed a few films. Deol admitted that he stumbled upon production by accident and admitted that the corporatization of film production has effected how cinema is made now. 

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While promoting his latest release Jaat, Deol praised the South film industry and said how Bollywood needs to learn from them and back stories which it believes in.

‘Produced Ghayal because no one else was’

While speaking to DNA, Deol admitted that the process of filmmaking has changed since the time corporates have started backing films. Recalling how he stumbled upon production, Deol said, “I was not wanting to be a producer when Ghayal came to me. But I really liked the story of Ghayal and no one was backing the film. My father suggested we produce it under our banner.

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Ghayal was directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and was released in 1990. The film featured Sunny Deol in the lead role along with Raj Babbar, Meenakshi Sheshadri and Moushumi Chatterjee. The film was produced by Dharmendra’s production house, Vijayta Films.

Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan are battle ready atop a tank in BTS picture from Jhansi on sets of Border 2

Deol feels the role of a producer should in line with what a story needs. “I am believer of what is required is what we need. I don’t like wasting. If you need a Mercedes car but are given a Fiat instead- that won’t be correct. We produce the films that are needed to backed.

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‘Bollywood should learn from South’

Calling filmmaking a creative job, Deol pointed out that corporatisation often hinders the process of filmmaking. “Filmmaking is a creative job, but corporates understand the math, not the creative process, always. The producer’s job is to provide whatever is needed and for that, he has to be convinced of the story, believe in it. The corporate world is everywhere, and things have definitely changed as a result. They want certain things included, they insist on a start and end date. Films aren’t made like that. It’s a creative job, not a machine job.” 

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Deol praised South Indian film industries for backing films they believe in. “South works differently. They still back films that they believe in. And it's great that Jaat happened and we all came on board for it. I hope Bollywood takes a leaf from the South and changes its way of functioning. For any film, the story should be the most important aspect. Believe in the director and story and cast actors according to the demands ofthe  script. Not because of who sells more. Whoever is best suited to the subject should be given importance.

Echoing Sunny Deol’s thoughts, his Jaat co-actor Randeep Hooda, who has directed and produced Veer Sawarkar recently, said, “There are people in the system now who have never made a movie, never been on the sets of a film and they are telling because of some data they have what to do in the movie and that becomes very frustrating. Acting is my first love and I am an accidental director and producer.”  

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