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Rajkumar Santoshi and Sunny Deol are set to work together again, despite the disappointing box-office performance of their latest film, Batwara 1947. The filmmaker has confirmed that he is developing multiple projects with his longtime collaborator, including Ghatak Ghus Ke Marega, which features the same character from their 1996 action thriller Ghatak. Santoshi, however, has made it clear that the new film is not a conventional sequel. The announcement comes shortly after Santoshi rejected Shabana Azmi’s suggestion that audiences failed to accept Sunny as a Muslim character in Batwara 1947. The director also revealed plans for another action thriller starring Deol.

Ghatak Follow-Up With Sunny Deol

Speaking to PTI, Santoshi confirmed that he and Deol are developing several stories. “Sunny and I are working on a few stories, and soon we will make a formal announcement about it,” Santoshi said. One of the projects will reportedly feature Deol as a US-based Sikh character in an action thriller. The other is Ghatak Ghus Ke Marega, which brings back the character Deol played in Ghatak.

Santoshi stressed that the film should not be viewed as Ghatak 2. “The fans of Sunny will be happy as this new film has action, powerful dialogues and emotion,” he said. “It is not a sequel. But it is the same character, like the character is from Varanasi.” The phrase “ghus ke marega” also appeared in Batwara 1947, in which Deol's character's son, played by Karan Deol, warns Pakistani extremists before his father takes them on.

Santoshi Explains Why He Avoids Sequels

Santoshi has previously spoken about his reluctance to continue established film franchises. He turned down the opportunity to direct Jaat 2, allowing Gopichand Malineni to return as director for the sequel to Deol's 2025 action film. His approach to sequels also influenced his decision not to direct Ghayal Returns, the 2016 follow-up to Ghayal. Deol eventually returned to the director's chair for that film.

Santoshi is taking a similar route with his cult comedy Andaz Apna Apna. Rather than continuing the 1994 film starring Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, he is developing a spiritual successor titled Ada Apni Apni. “It is a different story, but the genre, comedy and adventure are the same. We didn’t want to do a sequel as the story concludes with Andaz Apna Apna,” Santoshi explained.

He has yet to formally confirm whether Khan and Khan will appear in the new project.

Batwara 1947 Ends Deol-Santoshi Winning Run

The announcement of Santoshi and Deol's upcoming collaborations follows the underwhelming theatrical run of Batwara 1947. The Partition drama featured Deol as the head of a Muslim family forced to leave for Lahore, while Shabana Azmi played an elderly Hindu woman whose former home becomes central to the story.

The film struggled at the box office after releasing alongside Awarapan 2. It reportedly failed to cross the Rs 40 crore mark domestically. Azmi had questioned whether audiences were unwilling to see Deol portray a Muslim character. “Why can’t the audience accept Sunny Deol as a Muslim?” she told Zoom. “What are we supposed to understand from this? Is such an environment being created here where these kinds of divisions are deliberately being encouraged? I don’t understand,” she added.

Santoshi disagreed with the assessment. Speaking to Variety India, he pointed to Amitabh Bachchan's successful portrayals of Muslim characters, including his role in Coolie. “Are we at a point where we cannot accept a hero from the other community? We are sensible, good people, educated people. How are they saying there’s a big mistake in the film?” Santoshi said.

The filmmaker and Deol had previously delivered three successful collaborations, Ghayal in 1990, Damini in 1993 and Ghatak in 1996. Their reunion for Batwara 1947 came after nearly three decades apart. Deol had earlier said that Batwara 1947 had been in development since 2010. According to the actor, the project eventually moved forward after Aamir Khan backed it, following Deol's renewed box-office popularity after Gadar 2.

What’s Next

Santoshi and Deol's next projects could mark another chapter in their long association. While Ghatak Ghus Ke Marega will revisit a familiar character, Santoshi insists it will tell a new story rather than simply extend the 1996 film.