Rajkumar Santoshi's debut directorial, Ghayal, was not only rejected by actors but also by producers. Later Sunny Deol put faith in his vision, and together they created history.
Sunny Deol has given some top blockbusters in his initial career. After making a striking debut with Betaab (1983), Sunny went on to star in hit films, including Sohni Mahiwal (1984), Arjun (1985), Paap Ki Duniya (1988), Tridev and ChaalBaaz (both 1989). However, after starring in several hits, he suffered a dent in his career with back-to-back failures in the late 80s and early 90s. In this phase, he did a movie that changed his career forever. After starring in this action drama, he earned the title of Indian Rambo, and the film is still regarded as one of the best actioners in Bollywood.
The actioner gave a new course to Sunny Deol's career is...
Ghayal, Rajkumar Santoshi's debut directorial gave new course to Sunny Deol's career. Before Ghayal, Sunny had 4 flops- Nigahen: Nagina Part II, Aag Ka Gola, Majboor, and Kroadh. After Ghayal, Sunny Deol bounced back and earned the title of Indian Rambo.
Ghayal was made with this actor in mind
Reportedly, Rajkumar Santoshi wrote Ghayal keeping Kamal Haasan in mind. However, the director was unsure about approaching Kamal as the actor's previous Hindi films did not perform well.
Actors who rejected Ghayal
After dropping Kamal Haasan, Rajkumar Santoshi approached Sanjay Dutt and even Mithun Chakraborty for the lead role of Ajay Mehra. However, both actors rejected the film.
When Rajkumar Santoshi struggled to find a producer for Ghayal
Santoshi was not only facing a tough time finding a lead actor but also been through a nightmarish journey of finding a producer for his film. Reportedly, producers were not ready to back Ghayal. Santoshi was an assistant director to Govind Nihlani, and the producers thought he would produce some arty film like his mentor. Thus, people backed out from producing it.
When Sunny Deol took Rajkumar Santoshi to Dharmendra
After facing several rejections, Santoshi approached Sunny with the script. The actor loved the story, and when he got to know about the filmmaker's plight, he took him to Dharmendra. The director met Dharmendra with Sunny, narrated him the script, and impressed the veteran action star to such an extent, that he decided to produce the film and even gave his name.
Box office performance of Ghayal
Made in a reported budget of Rs 2.5 crores, the film was a blockbuster, despite clashing with Aamir Khan's Dil. Ghayal grossed Rs 20 crores and won numerous accolades, including seven Filmfare Awards and two National Awards.
Ghayal Once Again
25 years after Ghayal, Sunny Deol brought the film's second instalment, Ghayal Once Again. Sunny Deol directed the sequel, and despite earning positive reviews, the film failed commercially. Ghayal Once Again grossed Rs 45 crores worldwide against a Rs 50 crore budget.
Read: This actor left UPSC dreams for Bollywood, was launched by Amitabh, fought Shah Rukh, then disappeared for years, now...
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 "Sunny Deol in the film that earned him title of Indian Rambo")
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