‘Everything was on track, script was ready’
Following Dharmendra’s heartbreaking, shocking death, filmmaker Anil Sharma has revealed whether he will still bring out Apne 2, the sequel to 2007’s hit sports drama Apne, which featured the Deols together for the first time on the big screen.
Dharmendra’s death is a new wound, a nightmare that millions of fans still cannot believe. Amidst the pain and anguish of losing Bollywood’s beloved He-Man, filmmaker Anil Sharma has released the big update on Apne 2. In 2007, Anil created a tsunami of emotions as moviegoers watched the real-life father-son trio Deols in the sports drama Apne. The film was a huge hit and the biggest reason for this was the visual feast of watching Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol play themselves.
Over the years, Apnea achieved cult status in the sports drama genre and people were eagerly awaiting the sequel of Apnea. On the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 30, 2020, the makers announced Apne 2 with the OG trio and the youngest Deol Karan. The film was planned to be released on Diwali 2021 but was kept getting postponed. Ultimately, Apnea 2 was postponed indefinitely because there were no major updates to the project.
Anil Sharma in Apnea 2 after Dharmendra’s death
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Anil Sharma expressed sadness over Dharmendra’s death and said that it was a “personal and professional loss” for him. Talking about the future of Apne 2, Anil Sharma said, “Apno ke bina nahi ho sakti. It is impossible to make the sequel without Dharamji. Everything was fine and the script was ready, but he abandoned us. Some dreams remain unfulfilled. It is not possible without him.”
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It seems like Apnea 2 will always remain like an unfinished story, an incredible dream. After Apnea, Deols appeared in Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011). The success of this film launched a franchise. However, subsequent sequels Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 and Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se were unsuccessful, leading to an abrupt end to the series. Dharmendra’s last on-screen appearance will be in Agastya Nanda starrer Ikkis. The movie will be released in theaters on December 25.
