20 years of Soldier: Bobby Deol credits his wife for his iconic look

Released in 1998, Soldier was a career-defining film for actor Bobby Deol. Not only did the movie starring Preity Zinta get her many awards, it also established Bobby as one of the most bankable stars in Bollywood then.

Bobby gets nostalgic when you remind him that the Abbas-Mustan directorial completes 20 years today. “You don’t realise how fast time flies... 20 years have passed just like that. I said yes to the script as soon as I heard it. It also started my relationship with Abbas-Mustan, who are among the nicest people I have worked with. I’ve done most of my films with them,” he says.

Recalling memories of shooting for the film, he says, “We went to Sydney (Australia) to shoot, and it was great fun. I had fractured my hand before going to Sydney the first time. Then, I had to climb on Sydney Harbour Bridge for the helicopter shot. Even when we shot in Bikaner for 27 days for the climax, we enjoyed every day.”

Bobby credits his iconic look in the title song — black cut-sleeve tank top and waistcoat with black shades — to his wife, Tanya.

“I never wanted to expose, but while doing Soldier, they wanted me to. My wife was with me, and she convinced me to wear a waistcoat, which I wouldn’t have worn otherwise. I remember getting up early at 4:35 to work out! It’s tiring now, but when you are young you have so much energy,” says Bobby, adding, “I keep telling Abbas-Mustan that let’s do a sequel now that I have a body.”

The film had a lot of competition when it released, but Soldier put up a solid fight. “I knew people would enjoy it, but I never thought that it would become so big. I remember Kuch Kuch Hota Hai released around the same time, and Soldier gave a tough fight to that one,” Bobby says.