Mukesh Rishi says he knew playing Bulla was a ‘misstep as soon as Gunda started filming’, Saif Ali Khan told him about its internet following

Meanwhile, Rishi recently opened up about how he discovered that Gunda and Bulla had become a cult favourite, years after its release, thanks to a conversation with Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan, who informed him of the film’s newfound popularity.

“As soon as we started filming, I realised that accepting the role was a misstep. Even a senior actor asked me why I did that role. I was the new villain in town and was doing good films at that time. Even I don’t know why I agreed to do that movie,” he recalled during a chat with Lehren Retro.

“Years after its release, with the arrival of computers, people started watching different stuff, including Gunda. The first person to tell me about Bulla’s fame was Saif Ali Khan. During a trip together to Hyderabad for our respective projects, he asked me if I knew that one of my films was garnering a lot of attention on the internet. I wasn’t aware of this. He went on to explain how the younger generation had enthusiastically embraced Bulla, propelling Gunda to become one of the most-watched films. After that, I began receiving calls even from foreigners regarding this movie and character, and at any event that I attended, people started requesting me to say Bulla’s lines,” he added.

“While doing it, I felt it was wrong and wondered why I even did it. But today’s generation perceives it as humorous and overlooks any flaws. So, such things happen. However, I did not even expect in my wildest dreams that people would accept and celebrate the character and its dialogues 20-30 years down the line,” he mentioned.