90s Bollywood icons like Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Akshaye Khanna have recently enjoyed a significant career resurgence with a string of blockbusters. In her latest vlog, filmmaker Farah Khan weighed in on their revival, discussing the immense challenge of regaining momentum in the industry after an extended hiatus.
Farah Khan talks about Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Akshaye Khanna
During the vlog, Farah and Ranveer spoke about Tees Maar Khan receiving immense love from Gen Z audiences. Farah recalled the dull response when the film was initially released and said, “When Tees Maar Khan released, meri toh band hi baja ke rakh di thi. I thought, main itna wrong kaise jaa sakti hoon kyunki mereko toh bahut funny lagi thi. Now I feel ki wow. Abhi Akshaye Khanna ka resurgence hua toh people are quoting it to me (When Tees Maar Khan released, I was completely torn apart by the criticism. I kept thinking, how could I have gone so wrong, because I genuinely found the film very funny. Now I feel, wow. With Akshaye Khanna’s resurgence, people are quoting it to me again).”
Ranveer then added that Akshaye, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol’s journeys inspire him. Farah said, “It’s lovely, what a resurgence they are having. Voh out hoke wapis aaye hain. That is even more difficult. Someone said, never waste a good failure — always learn something from it.”
About Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Akshaye Khanna’s resurgence
Sunny Deol made his big-screen comeback with Gadar 2 in 2023, and the film took the box office by storm, collecting ₹686 crore worldwide. He followed this success with several hit films, including Jaat and Border 2.
The same year, Bobby Deol made a strong comeback with Animal. Although he had no dialogue in the film, he stole the show with his performance, and the movie became a blockbuster, collecting over ₹900 crore worldwide. Bobby then went on to play villains in films such as Daaku Maharaaj, Kanguva and Hari Hara Veera Mallu.
Akshaye Khanna enjoyed a resurgence in 2025 when he impressed audiences with his portrayal of Emperor Aurangzeb in Chhaava, which turned out to be a blockbuster. He followed this with a negative role in Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar. His portrayal of Rehman Dakait won widespread praise and made him a sensation on the internet. The film went on to collect over ₹1,300 crore worldwide at the box office.
Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Akshaye Khanna’s upcoming projects
Sunny is awaiting the release of his film Gabru. Helmed by Shashank Udapurkar, the film is produced by Vishal Rana and Om Chhangani and is scheduled to release in theatres on 8 May 2026. Apart from this, he and Akshaye Khanna also have a courtroom drama, Ikka, in the pipeline. The release date has yet to be announced, but it will premiere on Netflix.
Bobby Deol, on the other hand, is awaiting the release of his film Bandar. Helmed by Anurag Kashyap, the film is produced by Nikhil Dwivedi under the banner of Saffron Magicworks and Zee Studios. The film, which also stars Sanya Malhotra in a lead role, is scheduled for a theatrical release on 22 May 2026.
