'I was not able to find right kind of scripts,' Sunny Deol recalls slump after Gadar

Panaji: Actor Sunny Deol says he went through a rough patch in his career after the blockbuster success of his movie 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha' but has now found happiness with the movie's sequel 'Gadar 2.'

At a masterclass session at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Tuesday evening, the actor became emotional talking about his journey in Hindi cinema that started with Rahul Rawail's 1983 movie 'Betaab.'

Deol, the son of veteran actor Dharmendra, said he was fortunate that he got to collaborate with directors like Rawail, Raj Kumar Santoshi, and Anil Sharma in his four decade-long career.

"I feel very lucky. I have been very fortunate. In my initial days, I had certain thoughts about the kind of movies that I wanted to do... I feel fortunate that I could do films the way I wanted. I remember the kind of cinema my father, Amitabh Bachchan ji, Vinod ji, Mithunji were doing was really different. Of course, I did those kinds of movies later," Deol said.

"I started doing films because I wanted to become an actor, not a star. I grew up watching my father's cinema and I wanted to have that kind of variety in my work," he added.

The actor is currently basking in the glory of 'Gadar 2,' directed by Sharma. The film released in theatres in August and became a blockbuster, earning more than Rs 500 crore till date.

"I believe I'm at this stage because of all the films I have done in the past. I remember that when 'Gadar' was released in 2000, it became a massive hit. But after that my struggle started because I was not able to find the right kind of scripts.

"Things were not working out for me. I did films during this phase, some did good business and some didn't, but after a gap of 20 years, I have found happiness because of Gadar. It has provided me with a high. I become emotional these days a lot," Deol said.

He believes his career is a result of his never-give-up attitude.

"Sometimes you stop believing in things but I never gave up in life and continued to move forward. I only remember the good things and just forget the bad things," the 67-year-old actor said.

Santoshi, who directed Deol in classics like 'Ghayal,' 'Damini,' and 'Ghatak' and attended the event, remarked that the film industry has not done "justice" to the actor and his talent.

"I believe that the industry has not done justice to Sunny's talent. But God has," the filmmaker said.

As an artiste, Deol said he goes by his instinct whenever he receives a script.

"I have always done movies if I like a script. I trust my instincts a lot, maybe because I'm a sportsman. I believe your brain is the fastest computer in the world and that's why we should trust our instincts.

"When I like a story, I don't look the other way. I get involved in it and have the belief that it will be made and that I'm capable of doing that film. That's how I do cinema," he said.

Deol, who is also the BJP MP from Punjab's Gurdaspur, recalled the difficulties he and Santoshi faced in making their 1990 hit 'Ghayal.'

"We went to a lot of producers for Ghayal but nobody was willing to back it. Eventually, I went to my father and told him that I like the script and the story. So he heard the script and he was so happy with the story and he told Raj, 'I will become producer for this film,'" the actor recalled.