Sudesh Berry Interview: Border's Deleted Scene, Darr And Bollywood Truths

Sudesh Berry Interview: Border's Deleted Fight Scene, Darr, And His Unfiltered Truths About Bollywood

"An actor dies in his character, and the character comes alive. Then that character never dies."

On the Accompany Akki podcast, veteran actor Sudesh Berry spoke with host Akash Kumar about Border, the Darr role he lost, the 90s Bollywood era, star kids, karma and much more, in his trademark unfiltered style.

The emotional Border death scene

Border is a film that made all of India cry. Sudesh Berry's death scene, where he asks for a message to reach his child's mother, remains one of its most remembered moments.

How did he approach it? He used a blunt comparison. A butcher cuts every day, so for him it's normal. Actors, he said, are similar in their craft. They create characters, give them life and respect, and then fully disappear into them.

"The actor dies inside the character, and the character comes alive," he said. "I will die. The character will stay alive."

That, he believes, is why the film still connects decades later. "It can never grow old."

The Border fight scene nobody saw

His biggest untold story from Border: a full fight scene between him and Sunil Shetty was shot but cut from the film.

According to Sudesh Berry, the Ministry of Defence objected that soldiers don't fight each other, since such conduct could lead to a court martial. The scene was removed.

Every moment in Border, he said, was high-voltage emotion, because the film was set on the border, and there's no such thing as a low-voltage thought there.

Was Sudesh Berry originally cast in Darr?

Yes, he says. He was offered the role, and even his costume measurements were taken. He didn't reject it.

As he describes it, the casting kept changing as bigger actors came in. First Rishi Kapoor was part of the plan, then Aamir Khan, then Sunny Deol, and finally the film was made with Sunny Deol and Shah Rukh Khan.

He explained that big actors and makers often push for changes, and filmmakers like Yash Chopra were passionate and a little different, which is how they made great films. Some careers went up, some went down. "That's how it runs," he said. "It still happens in every film."

He compared it to Zanjeer, which several actors reportedly turned down before it went to Amitabh Bachchan, and to Border, which came to him after others moved on.

90s Bollywood: who survived and why

Sudesh Berry started out alongside a generation that included Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar. Many other heroes of that era faded, he said, often because they lost their shape or their discipline.

The few who kept working hard went on to define nearly 20 years of Hindi cinema, from the 90s to around 2010.

Why Amitabh Bachchan is the only real superstar

For Sudesh Berry, the answer is simple. "The real star is only one: Amitabh Bachchan."

He compared him to Bhishma Pitamah and to the Dhruv Tara, the pole star. Others come and go, but Amitabh Bachchan has stayed consistent across generations. "Money is a very lousy means of judging a person," he added.

The most disciplined actor

He named Akshay Kumar as a very disciplined actor. Having shared a scene with him in Welcome 3, he said Akshay arrives before time, values time and rises early during the brahma muhurta. That discipline, he believes, keeps him in good health and prosperity.

He described Sunil Shetty today as more of a businessman than an actor.

Working with Sunny Deol

Sudesh Berry has done around 10 films with the Deol family. He called Sunny Deol "a class apart."

On set, Sunny stayed calm and in his own zone, not glued to his phone, and gave everyone good vibrations. "When someone gives good vibrations, they grow and we grow too," he said. Negative attitudes, on the other hand, pull everyone down.

He credited Ghayal, which marked a beautiful beginning in his career, to Rajkumar Santoshi, Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and, above all, Mahadev.

He also said Govinda, Nana Patekar and Amitabh Bachchan have praised him over the years. He calls those compliments invisible medals he keeps inside.

Nepotism, star kids and camps

• On nepotism: he sees it as something everyone does in every field. People will keep arguing whether it should exist, but it will continue.
• On star kids: many struggle because they're born with a golden spoon and have no real necessity. "Necessity is the mother of invention."
• On camps: he sees them as natural. Like-minded people form groups everywhere, including in Bollywood.
• On award shows: he believes they're scripted, but admitted he has no documented proof, only what he has heard.

The biggest myth of Bollywood: chirag tale andhera

Sudesh Berry calls this the industry's biggest truth that people misunderstand: "chirag tale andhera", darkness under the lamp.

People who lit up the industry, he said, often couldn't do the same for their own families. He pointed to legends like Guru Dutt, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor as figures who gave so much to cinema, while many of their descendants never became widely known.

His reasoning: the next generation often doesn't feel the same need. "Find the purpose, and the means will follow," he said. "Money is not God. Respect and karma are God."

He also used a memorable metaphor: your inner self is the SIM card, and your body is the mobile. You can change the phone, but not the SIM.

Casting couch and karma

He said women in the industry have to stay alert because of bad people. He shared his anger at harassment, recalling girls in a Mumbai bus who told him men kept elbowing them.

Even if wrongdoing is hidden in Bollywood, he believes karma eventually catches up with people. In 40 years, he said, no one can point a finger at him for misguiding anyone.

He also admired consistent philanthropy, citing what he has heard about Tata and Azim Premji's daily giving. Giving to society, he said, brings blessings.

Shah Rukh Khan: blessed first, then hard work

Asked about Shah Rukh Khan's success, Sudesh Berry said all the big stars of that generation are destiny's children.

His view: blessings and luck come first, then hard work. "First I give you a chance. Only then will you work hard."

He also described hard work as a mix of mental, physical and spiritual preparation, rising on time and showing up on time.

Mahabharat and LOC Kargil

Sudesh Berry played Drupad in Mahabharat (2013), produced by Swastik Productions. He believes his introduction scene, with him buried in the ground with only his head visible, is unmatched in 100 years of Indian television history.

He also recalled playing Vichitravirya in B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat, which he agreed to after repeated requests.

He's equally proud of his speech in LOC Kargil, shot at the actual Dras sector with real soldiers standing behind the actors.

He sees his roles as Mahadev's blessing. He feels Mahadev tells him not to chase superstardom, because he'll be given something bigger.

Rapid fire highlights

• Bollywood: a mirror of society
• Stardom: a mirage, like the golden deer even Lord Rama couldn't catch
• Success: a state of mind
• Failure taught him: there is nothing called failure
• Money can't buy: Sudesh Berry, "saleable but not affordable"
• Real hero: Amitabh Bachchan
• Sunny Deol: spiritual inspiration for future generations
• Salman Khan: a blessed person with good karma
• Shah Rukh Khan: a perfect blend of art, science and commerce
• Aamir Khan: the epitome of creativity
• JP Dutta: he said JP Dutta told him a famous aircraft shot in Border later inspired a similar shot by Steven Spielberg
• OTT: he strongly criticised it for, in his view, relying on vulgarity, abuse and violence instead of creativity
• TV and cinema: "TV is my wife, cinema is my girlfriend"

Key takeaways

• Great acting means fully disappearing into a character.
• Border's soldier fight scene was cut after a Ministry of Defence objection.
• Casting in Bollywood often changes as bigger names come in.
• Sudesh Berry calls Amitabh Bachchan the only consistent superstar.
• He believes discipline, good vibrations and karma decide long careers.
• Purpose matters more than money.

Watch the full episode: 

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Which Sudesh Berry role do you remember most?