
Sooraj Pancholi is all set to return to the big screen as Hamirji Gohil, the warrior who fought against the Tughlaq Empire and saved Somnath Temple from destruction, in Kesari Veer. His last release was Stanley D’Costa’s Time To Dance in 2021.
Sooraj has been embroiled in the case of actor and his late girlfriend Jiah Khan’s suicide case. He was acquitted of abetment charges by a CBI court in Mumbai in 2023. At the trailer launch of Kesari Veer in Mumbai on Tuesday, Sooraj’s co-star Suniel Shetty gave him a pep talk, post which he became visibly emotional.
“He’s seen a lot. Now, he’s got this second chance. Trust me, this is an opportunity the Almighty has given, that Mahadev (Lord Shiva) has given. You’ll see it in the film that he’s unbelievably good! Every time I see him on screen, it’s like I’m watching Ahan. That’s the kind of effort he’s put in. And the same kind of love,” said Shetty. His son, Ahan Shetty, made his acting debut with Milan Luthria’s 2021 action thriller Tadap and will be next seen in Border 2.
Suniel Shetty pointed out why young actors like Ahan Shetty and Sooraj Pancholi aren’t able to nail the same level of popularity and success that stars like him did back in the 1990s. “Our films were made for the audience. The films today are made for finance. A CEO can never make a film. Only a director and an artiste can. Give them films like those and then see. If you watch Kesari Veer, you’ll say Sooraj is way ahead of Anna and others. That’s the truth,” said Shetty.
“Struggle has always been there, and it’ll be there for you too. You’ll win one Friday and doubt yourself on the next one. But it’s all subject to the film, the co-actors around you, and the subjects you pick,” added the actor.
Kesari Veer is slated to release in cinemas on May 16.