MUMBAI: The film Soldier released in 1998, directed by Ramesh Taurani, is still regarded as the turning point in his career. It was the first of many projects that Abbas-Mustan and Bobby Deol collaborated on, and it also served as Preity Zinta's Bollywood début.
At the box office, the action-thriller was an enormous hit, becoming the second highest-grossing film of the year behind Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Its music and the chemistry between its lead pair drew attention and helped make it successful.
A long time ago, Deol made a hint regarding a Soldier sequel when he said he would like Taurani to do the same. Furthermore, the seasoned producer, who just released Ishq Vishk Rebound, the spiritual sequel, confirms to the popular news portal that, “We’re definitely making a sequel to Soldier. We will begin shooting for the film next year,” he said.
Shahid Kapoor, Amrita Rao, and Shenaz Treasury may not have been a part of Ishq Vishk Rebound but will Deol and Zinta reprise their roles in Soldier 2? “We aren’t sure about the cast yet. Depending on how the story shapes, we will take a call on whether Bobby and Preity will be a part of it,” states Taurani.
Talking about how Soldier became Zinta’s launch pad despite beginning the shoot of Kya Kehnaa themed on teenage pregnancy – also produced by Taurani – before, the Merry Christmas and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani maker recalls, “We had signed her for Kya Kehnaa first but it released late. While we were making it, Soldier, which was a very big film for us, was also going on floors. And we ended up casting her in Soldier as well.”
So, what caused the delay in the release of Kya Kehnaa? “Soldier was also ready by April 1998. We wanted to release it in August but we couldn’t. The reason was that we had the music rights of another film starring Bobby called Kareeb which was made by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. We wanted to release its music in June and the film in August. We didn’t want two films of Bobby releasing in the same month,” he states.
Taurani further added, “We were concerned how both the trailers would fare if they released at the same time. Even publicity for two films starring the same actor would have been a problem. That’s why we had to release Kareeb earlier.” In a similar vein, Deol hinted about the release of a sequel to one of his biggest hits in a previous interview, saying, “It’s been a long time! Maybe after Animal, Ramesh ji, Tips owner, will think of making [Soldier] part two with me.”
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Credit – News 18
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