Producer Deepak Mukut SLAMS Anil Sharma for claiming ‘Apne 2’ is called off: ‘He is not authorised to make such a rash statement’

Bollywood is still mourning the loss of one of its most loved stars, Dharmendra, the legend who lit up screens in films such as 'Sholay', 'Satyakam', 'Anupama' and 'Chupke Chupke'. He passed away on 24 November, leaving generations of fans heartbroken.His demise also sparked confusion around the much-awaited sequel to 'Apne'. The 2007 boxing drama brought together Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol for the first time under director Anil Sharma. The trio later reunited in the 'Yamla Pagla Deewana' franchise in 2011, 2013 and 2018. For years, fans have been waiting for 'Apne 2'. But after Dharmendra’s demise, director Anil Sharma said the sequel had been shelved. Soon after, producer Deepak Mukut stepped in and clarified that the film is still in works.Deepak Mukut, the producer of 'Apne', in an interview with Bollywood Hungama, made it clear that the film is still happening. He said, “On the contrary, Apne must be made now, more than ever before. We were working on the project with Dharam ji. Now Sunny (Deol) and I are going to work on Apne as a homage to Dharam ji. He will be there in the project in spirit. Apne featured Dharam ji with Sunny and Bobby. Apne 2 will also have Sunny’s son Karan in stellar role. I will be sitting down with Sunny over this as soon as the mourning period finishes.”Mukut is upset about the way Anil Sharma declared the project shelved. He said, “He is not authorized to make such a rash statement. I wonder why he said this. He denies having made such a statement. But how can he be quoted on something so sensitive if he didn’t say it? It is not Anil Sharma’s call to go ahead with the project or not. It is up to Sunny and I to take the project ahead and we are going ahead full throttle. We owe it to Dharam ji and his fans all over the world.”With the two sides giving opposite statements, the obvious question is whether Anil Sharma will direct the sequel. When asked, Mukut replied, “It is a possibility. I am not ruling it out. We may have a new director. That is not important. The important thing is, we are going ahead with Apne 2 as a homage to Dharamji with Sunny, Bobby and Karan Deol.”Soon after Dharmendra’s passing, Anil Sharma said in an interview that 'Apne 2' had been called off. For him, the story simply could not move forward without the family’s patriarch. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Sharma said, “Apne to apno ke bina nahi ho sakti. Without Dharamji, it’s impossible to make the sequel. Everything was on track and the script was ready, but he left us. Some dreams remain unfulfilled. Without him, it’s not possible.”