Sunny Deol Says ‘I Was Happy’ With ₹55.99 Crore Debt: 'Had To Sell My Own Assets And Pay Back'

Actor Sunny Deol tasted major box office success with the 2023 blockbuster Gadar 2. Directed by Anil Sharma, it was the sequel to their 2001 film Gadar. He later starred in Gopichand Malineni’s action thriller Jaat (2025), Anurag Sharma’s period war drama Border 2, Siddharth P Malhotra’s courtroom drama Ikkis, and now the newly released Rajkumar Santoshi’s Partition drama Batwara 1947. The actor recently appeared on Shubhankar Mishra's podcast to reflect on his career trajectory. During the interview, he discussed his gradual career slump following his initial success, his financial struggles and his challenging transition into directing.

Post-Gadar career slump

Sunny faced a gradual career decline in the early 2000s. He said that his initial box office dominance was substantial. "Along with Gadar, I also delivered Indian, which was a much bigger hit than Lagaan and all the other films of that time. It did two to three times of Lagaan’s business. Gadar did much more than that."

Released shortly after Gadar, N Maharajan's 2001 action thriller Indian collected ₹43 crore, outperforming Ashutosh Gowariker's period drama Lagaan, which generated ₹34 crore. Gadar clashed with Lagaan on release day and grossed ₹77 crore.

"Suddenly, corporates came in, and the film industry’s format began changing," Deol said on the podcast. This shift limited his creative options. "But after that, I don’t know why I wasn’t getting the right subjects and makers," he added.

How political backlash stalled his career

Sikh groups opposed his 2005 action comedy Jo Bole So Nihaal, directed by Rahul Rawail. This opposition culminated in a New Delhi cinema bombing that killed one viewer and injured 49 others.

"That film didn’t go too far because of politics. So, we had to withdraw it because of certain issues. These days, when politics is entering films, that should not happen. We’re not doing anything. We’re just entertainers. Anyone says anything rubbish outside of India, but there’s no censorship on that."

On debts and directorial failures

The actor also encountered significant financial difficulties during his career. He maintained a positive outlook despite the debts. "I can’t do so many things for money. But to be very honest, I’m very happy. Even when I was in debt, I was very happy. I was living my life."

Financial pressures peaked three years ago, days after Gadar 2 opened big, when a bank issued an e-auction notice for his Juhu property, Sunny Villa. The notice cited an outstanding debt and interest of ₹55.99 crore. The bank withdrew the notice after Sunny agreed to clear the dues.

"The money I owed was all mine. I didn’t borrow it from anyone. I didn’t owe anyone anything. I just had to sell my own assets and pay back," Sunny said.

He took the loan to produce Ghayal Returns (2016), which he directed and also starred in int.

Before that, he directed the romantic drama Dillagi and also helmed the 2019 film Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas. All three movies collapsed at the box office, triggering severe financial crises for the actor.

On the performance of his directorial projects, the actor said, "I don’t know why it didn’t work. So many people come up to me and say they loved Dillagi, but I can’t help it. I did what I wanted to, and gave my best. I always trust a person and move ahead rather than having doubts in my head. You need to be fully invested in everything — business, acting, and direction. So, it becomes very difficult to do all of them at the same time."