'Sunny sir was very different from what we imagined -- calm, shy, and soft-spoken. He didn't talk much, just smiled gently.'
Anurag Singh's Border 2 is the first blockbuster of the year, and its cast is suitably happy.
Paramvir Cheema, who plays Subedar Nishan Singh in the film, looks back at the film's shoot and overall experience and tells Patcy N/Rediff, "Because of Sunny Deol's on-screen image, we assumed he might be aggressive. About 15 days before he arrived, it felt like his aura had already reached the set."
How old were you when Border released in 1997? What was the experience of watching that film?
What was it like meeting Sunny Deol? Were you nervous?
Yes, I was very nervous. I've seen so much of Sunny sir's work and been his fan for years. We were waiting for him, wondering when we'd get the chance to meet him and whether we'd be able to talk to him. Because of his on-screen image, we assumed he might be aggressive.
About 15 days before he arrived, it felt like his aura had already reached the set. When Sunny sir finally came, he was very different from what we imagined -- calm, shy, and soft-spoken. He didn't talk much, just smiled gently.
During lunch, we got a chance to speak to him. It was a short conversation, and honestly, we were still in shock. We told him how big fans we were of him, and how we had been watching him since childhood.
He shyly replied, 'I'm still young.'
Even today, when we see Sunny sir, it doesn't feel like we first saw him back in 1997 and are seeing him now in 2025-2026. He still shoots with the same intensity, discipline, and commitment.
I have only one scene with him in the film. While shooting it, I was nervous, but watching him perform so calmly, and with such conviction, completely absorbed me into the scene.
You're such a good actor and have starred in many projects already. Is it still intimidating when you work with seniors?
Initially, yes. My first OTT project was Tabbar with Pawan Malhotra sir, and that really changed my perspective.
He was so much fun, not intimidating at all, very carefree. From that point on, I stopped feeling scared.
Then while shooting Tere Ishk Mein, I met Kriti Sanon. She's such a brilliant actress! I was unsure how things would be since we had scenes together and a certain angle in the story, but she was extremely sweet.
Dhanush is very quiet and keeps to himself. We were in the same zone -- doing our work without any awkwardness. The moment the camera rolls and the scene begins, there's a complete transformation.
After that, I worked with Varun Dhawan. He's a big star, from a strong film background, but he was also very chill.
When I met Sunny Deol, everyone asked me how the experience was. I said, everyone is so grounded and kind, they never make you feel small.
I did have one experience with a senior actor -- I won't name him -- who made me feel uncomfortable by using his power unnecessarily. Experience is important, but it shouldn't be used that way. Thankfully, apart from that one instance, no one else has ever made me feel like that.
The rest of the Border 2's cast, like Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan and Ahan Shetty, have a filmi background. Did you ever feel like an outsider?
J P Dutta, who directed the first Border, is the producer on this film. What was his contribution?
JP sir didn't come to the sets when I was shooting. Nidhi ma'am (Dutta, J P Dutta's daughter, and the film's producer) was present all the time. She gave Anurag (Singh, director) sir complete freedom to do whatever he wanted.
Nidhi ma'am and (her husband) Binoy (Gandhi) were constantly on set, keeping track of everything. Whenever there was a good scene, Binoy would encourage us.
Just two or three days ago, I received a voice note, saying, 'Bro, that scene of yours with Santram -- that is the scene of the century.'
Nidhi Dutta was pregnant during the shoot. How did everyone take care of her?
Initially, we had no idea. When we eventually found out, we were shocked. Here was a pregnant woman still coming to the sets, while we were shooting in the cantonment, with sounds of gunfire all around.
People usually try to maintain a calm and positive environment during a pregnancy, and here she was, right in the middle of all this. Later, when they posted and called it a 'Border baby', it made sense. I feel that baby will be incredibly strong, experiencing all this while in the womb.
What kind of challenges did you face while shooting in the desert?
You are working with your Border 2 co-star Sonam Bajwa in your next film, Pitt Siyappa.
Sonam Bajwa is everyone's crush. Everybody likes her and wants to work with her. I remember telling my sister once that if I ever did a Punjabi film, I'd want to do it with Sonam Bajwa. I feel fortunate that my first Punjabi film is with her.
She's very easy to work with. During the shoot, there were no tantrums at all.
Sonam had watched my series Sapne vs Everyone and messaged me saying so. I asked her if we'd ever work together, and she said yes. Around six or seven months later, we ended up doing this film together!
Do people recognise you now?
My look has been very different in each project, Tabbar, Sapne vs Everyone, and Chamak, so people would take time to recognise me. People started recognising me after Black Warrant.
After Tere Ishk Mein and Border 2, it has become more noticeable.
People don't mob me for autographs yet; that phase has still not come.
Did you try your luck in Punjabi films initially?
I had participated in Mr Punjab in Punjab. My father is not the type to invest money on me, so I thought it would not work there. Then, I started my journey from Mumbai.
What are your forthcoming projects?
There's a Punjabi film called Pitt Siyappa with Sonam. It's a romantic comedy set in Punjab, but with a very different and interesting story. The poster has already been released, and a lot of people asked what the film is about because it looked intriguing.
Apart from that, there's an Amazon show called The Pyramid Scheme, which has been announced and is being made with TVF. These two are currently in the pipeline. There's one more project, but I can't talk about it yet because it hasn't been officially announced.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
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