Sunny Deol starrer Safar takes the theatrical release route instead of OTT

Be it Gadar 2: The Katha Continues (2023) or Jaat, Sunny Deol’s fans have relished watching him as a one-man army in his last two big-screen action entertainers. Would an understated drama that sees him as a family man have the same draw in theatres? Deol hopes so. mid-day has learnt that the actor — whose next, tentatively titled Safar, was originally planned as an OTT release — is now set to bring it to cinemas by the year-end. 

What brought on the change of heart? Apparently, the actor considers his performance in Shashank Udapurkar’s directorial ventures as his career-best and wants it to reach a wide audience. A source reveals, “Sunny has shown Safar to many of his close friends, including Rajkumar Santoshi, Abbas-Mustan, and Rahul Nanda. They have all loved it, with many opining that the film will do for him what Satyakam [1969] did for his father, Dharmendra. A couple of months ago, Safar’s digital release was finalised, but Sunny’s friends convinced him to take the theatrical route instead.”

Also starring Simran Bagga, Safar sees Deol as a middle-aged man who decides to live the rest of his life in service of humanity. The senior actor wants to be fully involved in charting out its release plans. The source adds, “The makers and Sunny will decide the marketing plan, publicity strategy, and release date after the star returns from the US this week. They are eyeing a November or December release.”