Anil Sharma says 'Apne 2' now an incomplete story after Dharmendra's death

Filmmaker Anil Sharma was all set to work on "Apne 2", the sequel to his 2007 hit that featured Dharmendra with his sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, but with the cinema veteran's death earlier this week, the story will now remain "incomplete".

Dharmendra, the star of films such as "Sholay", "Satyakam", "Anupama" and "Chupke Chupke", passed away on Monday morning at his residence in suburban Mumbai. He was 89.

"I feel sad. Some regrets stay. Not everything is complete in this world. Some stories remain incomplete... But Dharam ji is in our memories and will always be. His love will always be there for us. And our love and the love of the whole of India will always be there for him," Sharma said.

Released in 2007, "Apne" featured Dharmendra with his sons, Sunny and Bobby Deol, for the first time. It also featured the popular song "Apne to apne hote hain".

In the heartfelt sports drama about family, redemption and second chances, the veteran actor played Baldev Chaudhary, an ageing former boxer seeking to reclaim his lost honour. Sunny and Bobby portrayed his sons Angad and Karan, respectively, who follow in the footsteps of their father.

"Apne" also starred Katrina Kaif, Shilpa Shetty, Kirron Kher and Divya Dutta in pivotal roles.

The filmmaker had been developing the sequel for many years, with the team announcing it in 2020. The project was also set to feature Dharmendra's grandson Karan Deol alongside the original trio.

Sharma, who made blockbuster movies "Gadar: Ek Prem Katha" (2001), and "Gadar 2" (2023) with Sunny Deol, said he last met Dharmendra a couple of months ago and the veteran had asked about the projects that Sharma was working on.

"I had gone to meet Bobby and Dharmendraji was sitting outside. I met him, touched his feet and hugged him. He was very happy. He asked me ‘Kaisa hai Chotu?'. He used to call me Chotu. "I told him ‘I'm doing well'. He asked me what I was doing. I told him that I was preparing for a film. I had planned for an action film with Utkarsh (Sharma's son). And then 'Apne 2' and 'Gadar 3'."

Sharma said Dharmendra asked him to come up with a good story.

"He told me that he wanted to make a good film and do good work. I told him that I will do it and work on it. I touched his feet and he blessed me. I told him that I will come and meet him. That moment stayed in my memories," he added.

Dharmendra played a pivotal part in Sharma's career as he featured in the filmmaker's early films such as "Hukumat" (1987), "Elaan-E-Jung" (1989), "Farishtay" (1991) and "Tahalka" (1992).

"My whole journey was with Dharam ji. And to tell you the truth, I had never seen a hero on screen in my life. When I was 8-10 years old. The first hero I saw on screen was Dharmendra.

"He was able to become Dharam ji because he was very warm. When you are a good person, you can reach great heights. Dharmendra proved this to me," he said.

The filmmaker said Dharmendra remained humble all his life, despite being a huge star.

"Dharam ji never realised that he was a very big (star)... He used to behave like a common man like he just arrived from Sanhewal (his village). He used to say that 'I don't know if I will get a job tomorrow or not.'

"The biggest thing about Dharam ji was that he never compromised on his self-respect. And that same honesty and dignity lives on in the Deols — Sunny sir and Bobby have also never allowed their self-respect to be compromised. That, I believe, is their greatest strength," Sharma said.