Bollywood veteran Sunny Deol has voiced his concerns about the industry’s increasing dependence on inflated box office numbers and corporate bookings, calling it a threat to the authenticity of cinema. In a recent interview with Zoom, the Border actor criticized production houses for manipulating figures to create artificial hype. He expressed disappointment that such practices have become commonplace, with many blindly following the trend. “It is sad. People don’t want to believe in reality but create their own version of it and want it to be accepted. It shouldn’t be like that,” Sunny remarked.
The actor also shed light on the growing trend of corporate bookings and bulk ticket purchases, which he believes are being used to falsely signal a film’s success. “People who are enjoying the lies of exaggerated box office numbers—I don’t understand what kind of people they are,” he said. Sunny urged aspiring actors and filmmakers to reject such shortcuts, warning that manipulating numbers isn’t a sustainable path to success. He stressed that such tactics are preventing new talent and meaningful stories from getting the attention they deserve.
Highlighting a deeper concern, Sunny lamented the loss of authenticity in cinema. According to him, the industry’s current focus has shifted from storytelling and strong performances to box office figures that are often artificially inflated. He believes this shift is diluting the artistic integrity of Indian cinema and distancing audiences from genuine cinematic experiences.
On the professional front, Sunny Deol was last seen in Jaat, the Hindi directorial debut of Gopichand Malineni, which featured an ensemble cast including Regina Cassandra, Randeep Hooda, Vineet Kumar Singh, Saiyami Kher, Ramya Krishnan, and Jagapathi Babu. He is currently filming Border 2, the sequel to the 1997 war drama, alongside Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Ahan Shetty. Sunny is also set to portray Lord Hanuman in Nitesh Tiwari’s highly anticipated Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor as Ram and Sai Pallavi as Sita.
