Sunny Deol’s career saw a major resurgence with the success of Gadar 2 in 2023, but the actor has now opened up about the difficult years that followed his blockbuster run with Gadar and Indian in 2001. Reflecting on his career journey, Deol spoke about struggling to find the right films, the impact of his directorial and production ventures and the financial pressure that followed.
Sunny Deol recalls career slump after ‘Gadar’ and ‘Indian’
Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Sunny Deol looked back at 2001, when Gadar emerged as one of the biggest hits of his career. The film released alongside Aamir Khan’s Lagaan and went on to earn around Rs 77 crore domestically. Later that year, Deol appeared in Indian , which he said performed even better than Lagaan .
He said, “Along with Gadar, I also delivered Indian, which was a much bigger hit than Lagaan and all the other films of that time. It did two to three times of 'Lagaan's business. 'Gadar' did much more than that.”
Despite the success of both films, Deol said his career momentum gradually slowed. He recalled how the industry began changing with the entry of corporate studios.
“Suddenly, corporates came in, and the film industry's format began changing,” he said, adding, “But after that, I don't know why I wasn't getting the right subjects and makers.”
The actor also spoke about how his decision to venture into film production and direction contributed to his financial difficulties, although he said he remained content during the challenging period.
Sunny Deol says he remained happy despite debt
Speaking about his financial struggles, Deol said he never viewed money as the sole measure of success.
“I can't do so many things for money. But to be very honest, I'm very happy. Even when I was in debt, I was very happy. I was living my life.”
In 2023, following the success of Gadar 2 , a bank issued an e-auction notice for Deol’s Juhu property, Sunny Villa, over alleged dues of Rs 55.99 crore. The notice was later withdrawn after the actor settled the amount.
Addressing the debt, Deol said, “The money I owed was all mine. I didn't borrow it from anyone. I didn't owe anyone anything. I just had to sell my own asset and pay back.”
Sunny Deol reveals directorial ventures added to financial pressure
Deol’s financial difficulties were also linked to his ventures behind the camera. He produced, directed and starred in Ghayal Returns in 2016. His directorial filmography also includes Dillagi (1999) and Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas (2019), both of which failed to make a major impact at the box office.
Recalling the response to Dillagi , Deol said, “I don't know why it didn't work. So many people come up to me and say they loved 'Dillagi', but I can't help it. I did what I wanted to and gave my best.”
Sunny Deol reveals Aamir Khan backed ‘Batwara 1947’
Deol’s career received a fresh boost after Gadar 2 , followed by films such as Jaat and Border 2 . The actor also reunited with director Rajkumar Santoshi, with whom he previously worked on films including Ghayal , Damini and Ghatak .
Deol revealed that Aamir Khan approached him for Santoshi’s Batwara 1947 after the success of Gadar 2 . The actor said the project had been in discussion for years.
“We were sitting on this story since 2010, but we were fortunate that Aamir wanted to do this film since he had heard it much earlier.”
Batwara 1947 marked the reunion of Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi after nearly three decades. The film collected around Rs 26.50 crore domestically over its opening weekend.
