Sunny Deol: ‘I am not the kind of person who gives up’

Bollywood action hero Sunny Deol continues his decades-long cinematic crusade against the bad guys in newly released movie Blank.

He plays a determined police officer trying to unravel a terrorist conspiracy threatening the safety of a big city in the thriller. The film also marks the debut of legendary actress Dimple Kapadia’s nephew Karan Kapadia.

“If I get excited by the story of the film I will do it. When I first heard the story of Blank, I really liked it and that is why I jumped into it. The fact it was Karan’s debut was another main reason for me doing it,” said Sunny.

The cinematic tough guy is full of praise for his co-star Karan and said he has done a great job in the film. Karan plays a man with a bombed strapped to him, who may be a terrorist or a victim being used in a bigger plan.

Clearly proud of Karan, Sunny said: “Nowadays, newcomers are well prepared about what they want to do and why they want to do it. I think Karan was very definite about this project and had already gone through it before I came on board, which is nice because he owns the character and subject, and it comes across very well. He has done a great job.”

Despite the advent of special effects, the 62-year-old has believed in adding larger-than-life realism into action scenes and still prefers doing his own stunts. “In cinema, everything we do should be believable, otherwise it is not enjoyable. In terms of action, I have done everything myself, so it has been raw.

“Action is an emotion and the more believable it is, the better. I mean, we do go larger than life, but we should believe that it is possible.”

Blank is another film where Sunny plays a character who believes in doing the right thing. Recently, there has been a rise in patriotic films he has been known for, but the actor believes it has become more of a business now.

“Whenever I did a film it was because I believed in the character. Mostly, I have done films where the characters have been strong and fight for something. That is my nature also because I go till the end and am not the kind of person who gives up. So somehow, that comes across and some films happened to be patriotic, so in some way people connect with me more. It was never about selling anything, but now the whole world has changed and it is about marketing or selling something,” he said.

As the star of more than 100 films and being in the industry for around 40 years, he explained how the motivation has remained so strong. “I don’t get tired and feel like I need to do more and keep on climbing. That is it and life is like that. The minute you lose interest in yourself, it gets boring, so you have to love your job. This industry where I am and this profession where I am, there isn’t a more beautiful place for me.”

Blank is in cinemas now