Sunny Deol admitted that playing Lord Hanuman in the upcoming adaptation of the mythological epic Ramayana is a huge challenge, because nobody involved in the project wants to get it wrong. A recent adaptation of the Ramayana, titled Adipurush, opened to terrible reviews, particularly over its portrayal of Hanuman. In an interview, Sunny said that he trusts the filmmakers to do right by the material, and also spoke about the elaborate visual effects involved in the project, directed by Nitesh Tiwari. In the same interview, Sunny addressed his upcoming film Border 2, and reflected on the reluctance he showed before agreeing to star in Gadar 2.
Asked about visual effects playing a key role in bringing the Ramayana to life, he told Pinkvilla, “An actor’s job is to perform. We get excited about characters, and the challenge is how to put it across. We always rely on the director, because it’s their subject. We now have technology that can help turn fantasy into reality. I remember seeing the first Superman and wondering how they made him fly. I was taken aback, because it actually looked like Superman is flying. Technology in India is getting better. The ‘chal jayega’ attitude we used to have doesn’t work any longer. We’re striving for perfection.”
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Sunny added, “We’re very excited about Ramayana. Namit (Malhotra, producer) is doing it. He was the right person to do this film, because he always wanted to make this believable. I’ve known him for years, and he always wanted to make a film, and now he’s found the perfect subject. To play Hanuman ji is going to be difficult, because we don’t want to get it wrong.”
Explaining his approach to sequels, Sunny said, “I was very scared even about Gadar 2. I was reluctant to do a sequel; I wanted to leave the original film and characters alone. They were so beautiful. Whenever Anil Sharma would mention Gadar 2, I would make excuses. Eventually, we did it because I liked the story. The good thing about Gadar 2 is that we stuck to the same genre, the same characters… We didn’t try to be too smart about it or modernise the story in any way. Even Border 2, it’s been so long since the first film. But the responsibility is huge because everywhere I go, I meet someone who says that they joined the Army after watching the first Border.”
Revealing that the movie is set in 1971, Sunny praised the filmmakers and writers for having kept the same tone as the original film. Ramayana – Part 1 will be released in 2026, but Border 2 will precede it. Sunny will next be seen in Jaat, after which he will headline Lahore 1947, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan. Ramayana stars Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role, with Sai Pallavi playing Sita and Yash playing Ravana.