Suniel Shetty has never shied away from saying what he believes. Speaking about his deep love for the country, the actor has often shown his patriotism both on and off screen. From films like Border, LOC Kargil, and Tango Charlie to his recent comments on history and culture, Suniel continues to speak openly about issues close to his heart.
Talking About Kesari Veer and Its Failure
In an exclusive interview with Lehren, Suniel Shetty reflected on the box-office failure of his 2025 film Kesari Veer. The film which was inspired by the repeated demolitions of the Somnath Temple in Gujarat and focused on the freedom fighters who stood up to protect it. While discussing why such a powerful story failed to reach audiences, Suniel pointed towards distribution issues and a lack of support in getting theatrical screens.
“Our History Should Be About Our Culture”
During the interview, Suniel raised a bold question about the kind of stories Indian films and textbooks focus on.
“Why do we talk about Aurangzeb, Akbar, Babur, Birbal?” he asked. And added, “Our history should be about our culture. It should be about Vedas and the Rajputs and Shivaji Maharaj and everybody else, every hero of every state should be spoken about.”
He questioned why Indian leaders and regional heroes who fought for the nation are rarely bought on screens while stories of invaders are repeatedly highlighted.
Suniel’s comments echo a larger debate already happening in the industry. Earlier, Akshay Kumar had made similar remarks while promoting Prithviraj Chauhan, saying, “Unfortunately, our history textbooks only have 2-3 lines about Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan, but a lot has been mentioned about the invaders,” adding there is “hardly anything mentioned about our culture and our Maharajas.”
The discussion continued about earlier this year when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Somnath Temple to mark 1,000 years since its first recorded invasion in 1026.
Full interview:
