Sunny Deol's career has seen a remarkable resurgence following the blockbuster success of ‘Gadar 2.’ The actor has since been in high demand and has a lineup packed with multiple large-scale projects. However, this newfound success seems to have come at a cost, as Deol has reportedly sidelined some smaller commitments made before ‘Gadar 2’ to focus on his new big-budget films.

It is believed Deol’s shift in priorities has resulted in Deepak Mukut’s crime thriller ‘Soorya’ being shelved. The buzz is that ‘Soorya’ has been called off after Mukut waited nearly three years for Deol’s dates despite 80% of the production being complete. The cast and crew have also reportedly been relieved. However, when this reporter reached out to the producer, Mukut said, “The film is under production and will be released next year.”

“Deol began ‘Soorya’ in January 2022 in Rajasthan and completed majority of its portions. However, ‘Soorya’ is believed to have run into financial problems, leading to a prolonged halt in production. Deol shifted his focus to Anil Sharma’s ‘Gadar 2’ which revitalized his career and attracted a flood of lucrative offers. He did promise Mukut that he would complete ‘Soorya’ after ‘Gadar 2’, but the film never restarted," a source said.

Following the unprecedented success of ‘Gadar 2,’ Deol has shifted his focus to large-scale, commercially appealing action films and is steering clear of niche, small-budget thrillers that struggle to draw audiences to theaters. ‘Soorya’ is a remake of the 2018 Malayalam crime drama ‘Joseph,’ but given the trend of remakes miserably flopping at the box office, Deol’s fear that this film too may not resonate with audiences is understandable.

Ahmed Khan’s ‘Baap,’ a star-studded action drama billed as a “desi Expendables,” also remains incomplete after more than two years. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Mithun Chakraborty and Jackie Shroff and went on floors in June 2022. While the principal photography is largely finished, a dance sequence involving all four leading men is pending. Scheduling conflicts have made it difficult for the makers to bring the cast together as each actor is now preoccupied with other commitments.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the fate of ‘Soorya’ and ‘Baap,’ Deol remains one of the busiest actors in Bollywood, with four high-profile films lined up. He will next be seen in Gopichand Malineni’s action entertainer ‘Jaat,’ scheduled to release in cinemas on April 10. It will be followed by Rajkumar Santoshi's historical drama ‘Lahore 1947’, and Anurag Singh’s ‘Border 2’. He's also doing Nitesh Tiwari’s most-anticipated ‘Ramayana’, where he plays the role of Lord Hanuman. Deol is expected to join Ranbir Kapoor and the team for this mythological epic after finishing ‘Border 2.’