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    EYE ON BOLLYWOOD                                                      AUGUST 14, 2026      |  The Indian Eye 37

                The Importance of Being Sunny Deol:

            Bollywood’s Last Authentic Action Hero

                As Batwara 1947 heads for release, Sunny Deol finds himself in the middle of a remarkable
               career renaissance—one built not on reinvention, but on remaining unapologetically himself.

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            ing Santoshi as one of the country’s
                                                                                                                  finest commercial filmmakers.
            New Delhi / Mumbai
                                                                                                                      The decision to re-release Ghayal
               n an industry where survival often                                                                 just days before Batwara 1947 is more
               depends on constant reinvention,                                                                   than a marketing strategy. It reminds
            ISunny Deol has done something                                                                        audiences  of  a  creative  partnership
            almost impossible: he has become                                                                      that once defined mainstream Hindi
            relevant again without changing who                                                                   cinema.
            he is.                                                                                                    If Batwara 1947 succeeds, it
                At 69, the actor is enjoying one                                                                  could revive one of Bollywood’s most
            of the most extraordinary second acts                                                                 celebrated  actor-director  combina-
            in contemporary Hindi cinema. His                                                                     tions.
            latest  film,  Batwara  1947,  directed                                                                   The subject itself appears well
            by long-time collaborator Rajkumar                                                                    suited to Sunny’s strengths. Set
            Santoshi, arrives in theatres on Au-                                                                  against  the  trauma  of  Partition,  the
            gust 14 amid considerable anticipa-                                                                   film  explores  violence,  displacement
            tion. The promotional campaign has                                                                    and  the  difficult  choice  between  ha-
            taken  him  from  Mumbai  to  Patna                                                                   tred and humanity. These themes
            Sahib, where he visited the histor-                                                                   align  naturally  with  the  moral  con-
            ic Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji with his                                                                  flicts that have shaped many of Sun-
            son Karan Deol, receiving blessings   Forty-three years after Betaab introduced him as Hindi cinema’s newest hero, Sunny Deol   ny’s most memorable performances.
            before  the  film’s  release.  Simultane-
                                                                                                                        Authentic Stardom
            ously, Zee Studios has re-released   remains something far rarer: a star whose identity has remained remarkably unchanged (File)  Sunny Deol’s renewed success
            Ghayal, his landmark 1990 action                                                                      says as much about Bollywood as it
            drama, while Sunny himself has been   the characters’ pain.             Bond with the Audience        does about the actor himself.
            celebrating 43 years since his debut in   That authenticity has aged sur-
                                                                                    Few actors today command the
                                                                                                                      For years, the industry chased
            Betaab.                           prisingly well.                   kind of trust that Sunny Deol enjoys   global aesthetics, urban sensibilities
                Together, these events tell a     The remarkable aspect of Sunny
            larger story. Sunny Deol is no longer   Deol’s resurgence is that he has resist-  among audiences beyond India’s met-  and increasingly sophisticated visu-
                                                                                ropolitan centres.
                                                                                                                  al effects. Yet audiences continue to
            merely  promoting  a  film;  he  is  cele-  ed the temptation to reinvent himself.  His popularity extends across   reward stories that evoke strong emo-
            brating a legacy that has suddenly be-  Many actors of his generation   North India’s heartland, Punjab, Ra-  tions and characters who embody un-
            come fashionable again.           experimented with romantic com-   jasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,  complicated moral conviction.
                  Original Action Hero        edies, urban dramas or streaming   where his recent promotional visit to   Sunny has become the symbol of
                Hindi cinema has produced     platforms to remain visible. Sunny   Patna attracted enthusiastic crowds.  that enduring appeal.
            many action stars, but few have com-  largely stayed loyal to the larger-than-  His visit to Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji   As Batwara 1947 approaches re-
                                              life, emotionally charged cinema that
            manded the kind of visceral emotion-  made him famous.              Patna  Sahib  reflected  not  only  per-  lease, his journey offers an important
            al connection that Sunny Deol enjoys.  For years, critics dismissed this   sonal faith but also his enduring abili-  lesson about longevity in Indian cine-
                His characters rarely relied on                                 ty to connect with audiences through   ma. Stardom is not sustained merely
            witty one-liners or slick choreography.   approach as outdated. Multiplex au-  cultural and spiritual symbols that   through publicity, digital visibility or
                                              diences gravitated towards understat-
            They fought because they had been   ed performances, and action cinema   resonate deeply across regions.  carefully managed public relations. It
            wronged. Whether as Ajay Mehra    increasingly embraced  international   Unlike many contemporary stars   ultimately depends on the relation-
            in Ghayal, Govind in Damini, Ma-  aesthetics.                       whose appeal is amplified by carefully   ship an actor builds with audiences
            jor Kuldeep Singh in Border or Tara                                 curated social media personas, Sun-  over decades.
            Singh in Gadar, Sunny represented       Then came Gadar 2.          ny’s popularity remains rooted in de-  Forty-three years after Betaab
            the ordinary man confronting ex-      The  film  shattered  expectations   cades of consistent screen identity.  introduced him as Hindi cinema’s
            traordinary injustice.            by becoming one of Hindi cinema’s     The release of Batwara 1947 also   newest hero, Sunny Deol remains
                His famous “dhai kilo ka haath”  biggest commercial successes. More   marks another reunion that carries   something far rarer: a star whose
            became more than a dialogue—it be-  importantly, it proved there re-  considerable significance.      identity has remained remarkably
            came shorthand for righteous anger.  mained a vast audience hungry for   Rajkumar Santoshi and Sunny   unchanged, yet whose relevance has
                Unlike many of today’s action   unapologetically emotional, patriotic,  Deol together created some of Hin-  never seemed more timely.
            spectacles driven by visual effects and   mass-market storytelling.  di  cinema’s  defining  action  dramas.   In Bollywood, authenticity is of-
            stylised violence, Sunny’s films were   Rather than changing with the in-  Ghayal remains one of the landmark   ten spoken about. Sunny Deol has
            grounded in emotion. The fights mat-  dustry, Sunny waited for the industry   films  of  the  1990s,  earning  Sunny  a   spent an entire career quietly proving
            tered because audiences believed in   to rediscover him.            National Film Award and establish-  what it looks like.

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