Salman and Sunny worked together in Jeet.
Murali Mohan Rao and Rajesh Malik wanted to pair Salman Khan and Sunny Deol together for the film Bandhan in 1998.
Sunny Deol, who made his acting debut with the romantic film Betaab in 1983, ruled Bollywood throughout the 80s and 90s with his action-packed films. If we talk about Jeet, directed by Raj Kanwar, the first thing which comes to our mind is Sunny Deol’s Yaara O Yaraa dance, which became synonymous with the actor.
The romantic action-thriller film also featured Salman Khan and Karisma Kapoor in the lead roles. The film turned out to be a success. Two years after the release of Jeet, it was reported that Murali Mohan Rao and Rajesh Malik wanted to pair Salman Khan and Sunny Deol together for the film Bandhan in 1998, but the latter opted out. According to reports, Sunny Deol felt disappointed because Salman Khan outperformed him in Jeet.
Sunny Deol faced a similar incident after the release of Darr, where he was overshadowed by Shah Rukh Khan, even though the latter had the role of an antagonist.
After Sunny Deol opted out of Bandhan, makers approached Sanjay Dutt- who also refused it. The film was then signed finally with Jackie Shroff alongside Salman Khan.
There is another interesting thing to note. Salman Khan refused to work with Jackie Shroff for 10 years as he believed that the actor had an affair with his former fiancée Sangeeta Bijlani in the 80s. Salman Khan decided to let go of his grudge and signed the film with Jackie Shroff. The making of Bandhan was announced in 1994, but it took 4 years to release the film and it turned out to be a success at the box office.
In a recent conversation with Zoom, Sunny Deol spoke about his bond with Salman Khan while stressing the point of unity in the film industry. He said that they both had known each other over the years when Sunny was not even acting. “We interacted with each other and he always used to look after me; he always wanted to be strong (wanted to be like me) and we also did a film together. He always stood by me. It is the kind of respect we have for each other,” he said.
Sunny is set to feature next in Baap alongside Mithun Chakraborty, Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff. He also has a part in Apne 2 with Dharmendra, Bobby Deol and Karan Deol. Salman Khan is gearing up for the release of Tiger 3. The film is set to hit the cinemas on November 10.
