Suniel Shetty is back in an action film, and we can’t contain our excitement as 90s kids who grew up watching his fight sequences.
To be honest, the 90s were not the best time for action films in India. The fight scenes didn’t have a lot of CGI, the stunts weren’t as dangerous and the actors didn’t have stylish bikes and cars. However, the one man army concept was still there – where the hero could dispatch a bunch of villains with ease. Also, whenever there was an action scene in the climax, the actor would be first beaten down to a pulp. The viewer will feel that he has no chance in hell to fightback. But, miraculously, he would get inspired (either by his mother or his girlfriend) to get up and give the villains proper hell.
Suniel Shetty has done many such films, and his action sequences from films like Mohra, Border and Bhai, are still etched in our minds even though we saw them as kids. While the likes of Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan were plying their trade in love stories, Sunil Shetty, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Sunny Deol were the face of action films.
Out of them, Suniel and Akshay had a really good physique (six-pack abs were not a thing then), and you could count on them to have a heart of gold, and fighting skills of a ninja.
Let’s take a look at Bhai. Suniel Shetty’s superhit movie from 1997.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyBFCglVIII&t=8278s
In the climax, Suniel Shetty is humiliated and taken away by cops (who are villains) in a jeep. Then, the uniformed men decide that they are going to burn the jeep in the middle of a jungle, to kill Suniel. They surround the jeep with tree trunks, and burn the whole thing. As if, the money spent by the government on a jeep that works extremely well has no value. Common sense says that Suniel can be burnt alone, without the jeep. But, the villians are dumb. And Suniel wakes up, while the jeep starts to get surrounded by fire. His hands are tied, but somehow he manages to take the steering well and drive himself to safety. Then, he hides in the jungle, and one by one, he finishes all the villains in brutal fashion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABhT-odRBBY
Another memorable scene that comes to mind is this one from Border. Suniel is shot, but he sees that Pakistanis are bringing their tanks on Indian soil and is angered beyond measure. He sees a couple of landmines from a distance, and starts walking towards the tank – not caring about the bullets that are fired in his direction. He doesn’t even listen to his superior, played by Sunny Deol. Singularly, he walks towards the Pakistani tanks. The Pakistani soldiers are ordered to shoot him down. We see him suffer at least four bullets and drop down in the sand. Then, as he comes near the tanks, with very little life left in him, he shouts, “Maa! Shakti!” Which means, mother (which is his country’s soil), give me strength! Miraculously, he gets up and starts walking towards the tanks with landmines. The Pakistanis shit in their pants. In a minute, the tank is blown along with Sunil, who becomes a martyr.
It’s not like Suniel could only do action. We loved his comic skills in films like Gopi Kishan and Hera Pheri. He got a lot of praise for his role of an obsessive lover in Dhadkan.
