Riding high on the hit status of Border 2, Sunny Deol is set to juggle five releases this year, with four films arriving in quick succession. While Gabru is slated for May 8, followed by Ikka, which may stream on Netflix from June, another of Deol’s movies, Soorya, has finally been completed and the team is looking at a June or July release. Aamir Khan’s Lahore 1947 is scheduled for August 13, while Ramayana is expected to arrive in November.

A trade source tells mid-day, “It is a golden year for Sunny Deol with five confirmed releases lined up. Though each genre is different, will the audiences be able to take in so many of his movies at the same time? Some movies may need to be reshuffled. Though Gabru which was being planned as a direct-to-OTT release will now arrive in cinemas on May 8. Described as the Satyakaam [1969] of Sunny’s career, it has been directed by Shashank Udapurkar and has Salman Khan in a cameo. Sunny plays a middle-aged family man who wants to live the rest of his life meaningfully through his service to humanity.”

Producer Deepak Mukut says of Soorya, “The film is complete. Now it’s in the post-production phase. Once that gets done, we will finalize the release date. We are looking for a good date in the month of June or July, as we want to showcase it well.”

Inarguably, Sunny Deol has a promising line-up of films with Lahore 1947, Border 2, and Ramayana. Amid this, the senior actor, however, hasn’t forgotten his prior commitment. Deol, who had shot a chunk of Soorya in 2022, returned to the world of M Padmakumar’s thriller in August as they began filming the climax. He aims to wrap up the movie by mid-September.

An official adaptation of the Malayalam film Joseph (2018), Soorya — which had gone on floors in Jaipur in the summer of 2022 ­— sees Deol as a retired cop, who unexpectedly gets pulled into a murder investigation that leads him to discover an organ harvesting racket. Talking to mid-day, producer Deepak Mukut said that they are currently filming the climactic action sequences with Deol, Ravi Kishan, and Manish Wadhwa in Vile Parle.

“We are shooting a massive action scene on a set, reflecting a hospital, constructed at the Golden Tobacco Factory. Action director Ravi Varma is executing it along with a unit of over 350 people. It’s a hand-to-hand combat scene featuring Sunny,” he shared.

From September 1, the unit will shift their focus to a critical courtroom sequence. Mukut added, “In the film, Sunny has to fight a case. So, he is back to his Damini [1993] avatar, doing lots of action and mouthing dramatic dialogues as he seeks justice. This leg will be filmed on a set, in Naigaon perhaps.” 

Soon after, the unit will fly out to Jaipur for the final 10-day schedule. “After that, we will begin post-production. We may release a teaser and trailer this year as we plan to release Soorya in early 2026.”

A three-year wait to wrap up the project can be discouraging, but Mukut noted that he found a supportive collaborator in the leading man. Even as Deol was busy with Jaat, Lahore 1947, and Border 2, he was involved in the movie’s creative process. The producer added, “It’s all about being patient. I had other commitments too, including The Bhootnii.”

What’s next for Sunny Deol after the smashing success of Gadar 2: The Katha Continues (2023), and a promising project in Lahore 1947? From what we hear, the actor will face the camera for Soorya, a crime drama that he had started in 2022. Sources tell us that Deol plans to wrap up Kamal Mukut’s production by November after which he will turn to Border 2.

Soorya, directed by M Padmakumar, is an official adaptation of the Malayalam film, Joseph (2018). The remake will see Deol as a retired cop, who gets pulled in to investigate a murder case that leads him to uncover an organ harvesting racket. While the film had originally gone on floors in Jaipur in 2022, the team hopes to regroup as soon as Deol wraps up Lahore 1947.

Mukut’s son Deepak says, “We have completed over 80 per cent of the film. Sunny will complete the shoot very soon.”

The two-year wait must not have been easy on the makers, but Deepak says one needs to be patient. “He was busy with other projects, and we were trying to work out the dates. We have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the Deol family since ages, and it’s fine that Sunny couldn’t shoot for our film earlier. We understand his compulsions.”

Deepak reveals that Deol had watched Joseph after he was offered the remake, and immediately came on board with a simple request—that the film be made as gritty as the original. “Sunny is also involved in the creative process. His relationship with us is far more important [than a film]. We’ll wait for him.”