Suneel Darshan recalls troubled relationship with Sunny Deol: 'He is the darkest chapter in my life'

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Director and producer Suneel Darshan, known for films like Andaaz, Inteqaam and Talaash: The Hunt Begins, recently opened up about the rocky relationships he shared with actor Sunny Deol. Speaking candidly in a new interview with journalist Vickey Lalwani, Suneel described his experience with Sunny as the most difficult phase of his professional life. In a recent interview, Suneel Darshan opened up about his tumultuous working relationship with Sunny Deol, marked by legal disputes.
Suneel opens up about how working with Sunny became a nightmare
"These are powerful people, and they care a damn. But there will be divine justice someday, I am sure. It's something too bitter to even put into words.
I did three films with him (Sunny). I did my first film, Inteqam, with him. At that point, he was not a big star. He had a potential stardom to him. We had a relationship before that as well. We distributed a lot of his movies. We had a significant contribution in the project, which was to be his launch. I believed in him. I believed that cinema needed people of his kind," Suneel said.
Suneel recalled how their working relationship, spanning three films (Inteqaam, Lootere, Ajay), eventually turned bitter. He claimed that Sunny accepted money for a project that never materialised, leading to a legal dispute. Despite the fallout, Suneel said he continues to respect the Deol family, especially veteran actor Dharmendra.
The tension, he said, began during their second collaboration, Lootere, and worsened during their third film. "It became a nightmare. It was like indulging a little child to get your work done. I didn't want to do another film with him, but I got emotionally manipulated into one," Suneel added.
Suneel's latest work
Suneel Darshan has returned after a long hiatus with Andaaz 2, his upcoming musical-romantic drama, which he directed, wrote, and produced himself. Set for release on 8 August, the film introduces newcomers Aayush Kumar, Aakaisha, and Natasha Fernandez and features music by Nadeem and Sameer.