Aamir Khan recalls working as AD on Sunny Deol-led Manzil Manzil and Zabardast in 1984-85

Mumbai, Aug 18 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan recently opened up about his early association with Sunny Deol.

Revealing that he worked as an assistant director on two of the latter’s films, Manzil Manzil and Zabardast, before making his acting debut, Aamir recalled his AD days.

Aamir shared the lesser-known anecdote while appearing with Sunny Deol, Amitabh Bachchan and Preity Zinta while making a special appearance on the quiz reality show, Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 18. During an open question-and-answer session with the studio audience, Aamir was asked about his first experience of working with Sunny on Batwara 1947.

Recalling the time, Aamir said he was only 18 when he joined the film industry as an assistant director and first met Sunny while working on his films.

“Yeh bahut kam log jaante hai Sir shayad, ke jab maine career mein entry meri hui, mein as an assistant director aaya tha, toh first time jab main Sunny se mila tab main assistant director tha unki film mein. Manzil Manzil aur Zabardast, yeh do filme banrahi thi, Sir, joh mere chachajaan Nasir Hussain sahab banarahein thein and Sunny was the lead in both the films and I was the assistant director,” he said.

(Very few people know this, Sir, but when I entered the industry, I started as an assistant director. The first time I met Sunny, I was an assistant director on his film. Manzil Manzil and Zabardast were the two films being made by my uncle, Nasir Hussain sahab. Sunny was the lead in both films and I was the assistant director. So, I worked with Sunny as an assistant for nearly three years)

“Kareeb 3 saal maine as an assistant with Sunny kaam kiya. Main 18 saal ka tha, aur Sunny to bahut bade star thein to humlog bahut excited thein,” he added.

(I was 18 years old, and Sunny was already a very big star, so we were all very excited)

Talking about Manzil Manzil, the movie released in 1984, and was directed by Aamir’s uncle and filmmaker Nasir Hussain. The film starred Sunny Deol and Dimple Kapadia in the lead roles, with Danny Denzongpa, Prem Chopra and Kulbhushan Kharbanda in pivotal roles.

The romantic drama revolved around Seema and Vijay, played by Dimple and Sunny respectively. The story revolves around Seema as she navigates family opposition and her relationship with Vijay, with the narrative taking a dramatic turn following an accident that leaves her with memory loss.

The film featured music by R.D. Burman and lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri. Songs from the film included “O Meri Jaan” and “Loot Gaye Hum To Raahon Mein”.

Aamir also worked as an assistant director on Zabardast, which released in 1985. Directed by Nasir Hussain, the film featured Sunny Deol alongside Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Prada, Rajiv Kapoor, Rati Agnihotri, Tanuja and Amrish Puri.

The film revolves around a tale of family, crime, betrayal and revenge. Sanjeev Kumar played Ratan Kumar, whose life changes after he becomes entangled in a conflict with Amrish Puri’s character Balram Singh. Sunny played Sunder Kumar, who sets out to uncover the truth surrounding his family and his father’s past.

Zabardast marked Nasir Hussain’s final directorial venture. The film once again featured music by R.D. Burman, with lyrics penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Years later, in 2026, Aamir and Sunny reunited for the recently released movie, Batwara 1947. With Sunny essaying the lead role, the movie has been produced by Aamir Khan.

The movie which released on August 14, this year, has open to good response from both audiences and says and critics alike.

–IANS

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