Gadar's Impact on Indian Cinema: A Legendary Blockbuster"
How the journey of Gadar and Gadar 2: A Timeless Bollywood Franchise became the highest-grossing movie in Indian cinema, smashing all records of the recent movie Pathaan thrived as the biggest patriotic movie in the history of Hindi cinema.
Let’s explore the journey of this momentous film, which is connected to every Indian.
‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha‘ was released in 2001 and tells a passionate love story that transcends boundaries. This film was inspired by the real-life story of Boota Singh and holds a special place in the hearts of many Indians who appreciate the art of cinema, which was shown beautifully in this movie.
Before the time of its release, the movie ‘Gadar’ was speculated to be just an ordinary film that would become a disaster against the movie, which was already getting a lot of attention from the film critics enacted by the superstar of that time, Aamir Khan. The movie ‘Lagaan’ was directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar.
After the release of both movies, Gadar defied expectations and went on to become a legendary film in Indian cinema, leaving an indelible mark in the hearts of every Indian cinema audience.
Also read – Top five Highest Grossing Bollywood Movies of 2023 till July
Exploring the Iconic Characters and Cast of 'Gadar'
The writer, Shaktimaan Talwar had written the story. The movie was produced and directed by Anil Sharma who has previously directed famous movies such as Ab Tmhare Hawaale Watan Sathiyo, Apne, Singh Saab the Great, and many more. His choice of direction in the movie for every scene was extraordinary.
Talking about the cast of the movie, Anil Sharma worked with total perfection—his casting choices for this movie as the leading actors were Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel.
Anil Sharma’s ability to assemble a talented cast and his knack for direction has certainly contributed to the film’s success. His vision and dedication to creating an extraordinary movie experience shine through in every frame, making this movie a must-watch even after two decades.
Talking about the cast of the film. Anil Sharma’s choices for the lead roles were impeccable, with Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel delivering stellar performances as the leads.
However, according to some reports, Anil Sharma initially approached Govinda when he directed him for the film ‘Maharaja’, and for females, there were top actresses such as Kajol, Madhuri, and other top actresses who were approached.
In an interview with a leading media, Anil Sharma said, ‘Govinda was never signed for Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. I was directing him in Maharaja (1998). This is when I had narrated Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’s story to Govinda.”
“Not like I cast him in the film. In fact, he got scared after listening to the story of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha,” he shared. Anil went on to say: “He was wondering how someone could pull off a film of this kind and scale.
This was a time when there was no way of recreating Pakistan; nobody had attempted it for a major part of the film. So Sunny Deol was always the first choice.”
Actors who supported the movie, ‘Gadar’ and added their valuable efforts to it are given below.
The major role in making Gadar: Ek Anokhi Katha a blockbuster movie of its time was the songs, which were beautifully created by the famous music director, Uttam Singh.
Some of the famous songs that were also recreated in ‘Gadar 2’ by Mithoon (Aashiqui 2) were Udja Kaale and Main Nikla Gaddi Leke. If you want to hear the latest song from the movie Gadar 2, tap on the link above for the recreated versions.
Awards Earned by the Movie 'Gadar'
- Filmfare Special Performance Award – Ameesha Patel
- Filmfare Best Action Award – Tinnu Verma
- Zee Cine Special Award for Outstanding Performance – Male – Sunny Deol
- Star Screen Award for Best Actor – Sunny Deol
- Sansui Best Actor Award – Sunny Deol
- Sansui Best Actress Award – Ameesha Patel
- Annual Filmgoers Awards – Best Actress – Ameesha Patel
'Gadar 2' and the Original's Influence
Gadar 2 took more than 20 years to become the sequel to the iconic Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. The director, Anil Sharma, mentioned that the writer and himself had rejected at least 50 scripts in order to live up to the standards set by the original Gadar movie. Then that pivotal moment arrived.
The day the team laid eyes on the script that would become ‘Gadar 2’ everything changed. It was the missing piece of the puzzle they had been searching for all those years.
The story resonated with the cast and the teams. Sunny Deol and Amisha Patel, the stars of the first film, gave an enthusiastic green signal to the sequel to ride on the legacy that the original movie ‘Gadar’ had already created two decades before.
Anil Sharma also mentioned while giving an interview to The Times of India that if the script wasn’t liked by the cast, Sunny Deol and Amisha Patel, he wouldn’t have made the sequel to the movie.
While the original film was about the love story of Tara Singh and Sakina, the second installment of the movie, set in 1971, follows Tara Singh’s journey to Pakistan to save and rescue his son, Charanjeet Singh, from the Pakistani Army.
Record-Breaking Box Office: 'Gadar' and 'Gadar 2'
Both movies exceeded expectations in terms of box office collections. The original movie, ‘Gadar’, which had a budget of 18 crores, went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of 2001, collecting a humongous total of 111.73 crores worldwide.
The recently released Gadar 2, which was released on the occasion of Independence Day, created and broke many records in Indian cinema.
At this point, ‘Gadar 2’ has collected an impressive 524.53 crores at the box office, and it’s still going strong. This remarkable feat not only makes ‘Gadar 2’ the highest-grossing film in Sunny Deol’s career but also positions it as the second-highest-grossing movie in the history of Bollywood.
#Gadar2 crosses *lifetime biz* of #Pathaan #Hindi [₹ 524.53 cr] in #India… Now No. 1 HIGHEST GROSSING FILM in #Hindi in #India… Biz at a glance…
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) September 28, 2023
⭐️ Week 1: ₹ 284.63 cr
⭐️ Week 2: ₹ 134.47 cr
⭐️ Week 3: ₹ 63.35 cr
⭐️ Week 4: ₹ 27.55 cr
⭐️ Week 5: ₹ 7.28 cr
⭐️ Week 6: ₹… pic.twitter.com/bn32l8L9Tp
Records created by the film Gadar 2
- Third Highest First 3 Days Collection for an Indian Film (Hindi)
- Second Highest First 7 Days Collection for an Indian Film (Hindi Nett)
- Third Highest Non-Holiday Opening Day for an Indian Film (Hindi Nett)
- The biggest Independence Day release ever.
- The highest-grosser movie released in the month of August.
In an interview given on India TV during Aap Ki Adalat, Sunny Deol said, “I had no such expectations…when the first Gadar movie was made, it’s the people who made it a big hit. There was no digital world in those days.
But we had that gut feeling that it would click. In those days, we did not use to go out for promotions.
This time, before doing Gadar 2, Sharma jii, did a brainstorming. It was delayed as Covid began. When he told me about the idea, I liked it and from then onwards, work began.
I had this confidence that the people who liked Gadar, will like this sequel too. I knew, either the movie will not click, or if it clicked, it will give the movie its due honour. This movie has kept its izzat as a sequel”.
Gadar 2 is already loved by the people of India and globally as well. There would be no surprise if the movie sweeps all the awards on the Big Awards night as it did with the original movie.
Fact – The movie, ‘Gadar 2’ is the fourth movie between actor Sunny Deol and director Anil Sharma. Their previous movies are Singh Saab the Great, Apne, and Gadar: Ek Prem Katha.
'Gadar 3' Release Date: What Fans Need to Know
After the tremendous success of ‘Gadar 2,’ which received overwhelming love from the audience and appreciation for all the characters and talents involved, there’s exciting news on the horizon.
Anil Sharma, the director of the film, recently revealed in an interview that they are actively considering the creation of ‘Gadar 3.’ The key factor here is finding the right script that can seamlessly connect the story from ‘Gadar 2’. If the right script comes along, they are more than eager to move forward with the project.
Currently, Sunny Deol, the star of ‘Gadar 2,’ finds himself presented with various offers for the next installments of his previous hit films. One special project on the line is ‘Border,’ which was directed by J.P. Dutta. Sunny Deol is keeping himself busy with other exciting projects.
Fans of the franchise and Bollywood enthusiasts can keep their fingers crossed for another thrilling chapter in this iconic series, provided the right script finds a way for this to continue.
Stay tuned for more updates on these exciting developments in the world of Indian cinema- explore more at BollywoodXplorer
Also read: National Awards in Cinema for the Year 2023: A Look at the Winners