Partition love stories are no easy nut to crack, and Anil Sharma’s Gadar: Ek Prem Katha was no different.
Twenty-five years ago a film created history with a poignant story, raw and unyielding in its depiction of sacrifice, enduring love and the horrors of war. Led by Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel, this tale of love beyond borders and religion was a monstrous hit. To mark the film’s 25th anniversary, Ameesha Patel spoke to NDTV about why Gadar remains an emotion.
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, the actress recalls how hectic it was as the film became a mega blockbuster. “When the film was becoming this big hit, it got 100% opening all over India. It was such a hectic time because in those days we used to do five films a year. So I was juggling between sets of other films and I didn’t even have time to digest how humongous a hit it had become.”
She adds, “I never saw it on the big screen when it was released 25 years ago. But in 2023, when Gadar 2 was about to release, there was a re-release and I actually saw my film for the first time on the big screen. Sakeena – my most esteemed and toughest character at the time because I was so raw – who knew. It just felt surreal.”
The Judgements Before Gadar’s Judgement Day
Ameesha was advised by top producers to think twice before signing Gadar. “It was ‘career suicide’,” they said. Fresh off the success of Rakesh Roshan’s Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, which launched Hrithik Roshan alongside her, playing a mother to a sever-year-old seemed a risk and might lead to typecasting.
“I was told you’re suicidal. You’re committing suicide by doing a role like this – playing a mother, a character spanning pre-to-post independence. Then you’re a Pakistani girl, you’re out of your shorts and mini skirts and all that, and you’re covered from here to here. There’s no glamour.”
Another topic was the significant age gap between Ameesha Patel and Sunny Deol – about 18 years – a matter still questioned today when younger actresses are cast opposite senior stars.
Ameesha argues, “The character was justified to be older than me. So when I asked my producer, ‘Aren’t I a baby compared to Sunny?’ he said, ‘That’s exactly what we want, because Tara (Sunny Deol’s character) is almost like a father figure to Sakina. She is his baby. He falls in love with her when she’s only in school and he needs much help. So we want the age bracket to be justified because that’s the demand of the script.'”
“It’s not like today, where heroes try to look younger and pair with oddly aged, non-age-appropriate heroines and the audience is not digesting it. Even then I had the mental capacity to question being age~CHECK~appropriate with Sunny. I hope it wasn’t a faux power of casting. They said no, it was the requirement of the subject. That’s why people accepted it. There were so many norms we broke with this kind of cinema.”
From ‘Gutter’ To Gadar
The journey to becoming one of Indian cinema’s iconic films was not easy. Gadar: Ek Prem Katha faced blatant dismissal; some reviews labelled it “Gutter: Ek Prem Katha” before release.
Critics were unconvinced by the film’s earthy tone, which strayed from the more cosmopolitan vibe then in vogue. Many were uneasy about the India-Pakistan conflict and feared the sensitive period drama could be banned.
When Gadar 2 released, similar murmurs resurfaced.
“The second time round, two people didn’t have faith. Then the box office showed something else,” Ameesha Patel recalls. “Undefeatable reports and the second time round we were like, okay, the onus is on us – we’ve got this colossal thing on our shoulders because audiences have lived with Tara and Sakeena for 20 + years. I hope Tara and Sakeena are loved, but the audience showed that when you make a good film they live with your characters forever in their hearts. They wanted to know the next chapter, what transpired in Tara and Sakeena’s life.”
“I think films like Gadar teach us not to let the industry dictate terms and dishearten you,” she adds.
The Gadar 2 Mania: “Sunny And I Were In Tears”
Gadar was a cocktail of pure emotion. Set against the 1947 partition, the epic romance spelt magic with Tara Singh and Sakina’s love, which defied cultural and political boundaries. A Hindu marrying a Muslim, it was a powerful rebuttal to religious animosity.
Audiences were in awe of the lengths Tara Singh went to reunite with his family, braving all odds in Pakistan. That emotional rollercoaster returned in full force with Gadar 2 in 2023, leaving Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel visibly moved.
Tara Singh returns to Pakistan to bring back his adult son Jeete (Utkarsh Sharma) from the clutches of a vile Pakistani general who tortures him and holds him captive.
Ameesha Patel smiles as she recalls the overwhelming response to Gadar 2. “I knew we’d been loved. Given the kind of poor cinema going on today, we were making a film with emotion, comedy and family appeal – everyone could watch it. There were real relationships, real family values, action, romance and brilliant music. He kept himself moving forward with his age. He didn’t just plug in a younger heroine. Gadar 2 infused oxygen into Bollywood and took cinemas out of the ICU; suddenly they were doing bumper business and thanking us.”
She continues, “Sunny and I created a whole new fan base of people who hadn’t seen Gadar and then went back to cinemas when it was re-released. When Gadar 2 came out, they went to OTT and rewatched Gadar.”
Gadar: Ek Prem Katha famously clashed at the box office with Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan on the same day – yet still earned more. Gadar 2 also released amid big films such as Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani and Hollywood blockbusters like Barbie and Oppenheimer.
“Gadar came with Lagaan and still did so much more business than Lagaan. Gadar 2 faced huge releases around it and it wasn’t a clean release, and even then we fought them. The theatres also went to Shah Rukh Khan for Jawan and we still managed to beat records. Imagine if all these films hadn’t been there – what business Gadar 2 would have done.
“In Telugu there was a Chiranjeevi film; in Tamil a Rajinikanth film. Even in the South we got the screens we needed. Our tickets were nominally priced; we never gave buy-one-get-one gimmicks. And we still did these numbers. Sunny and I were in tears every single day. We raced through fastest Rs 100 crore, Rs 200 crore, Rs 300 crore – celebrations in Dubai, then at Sunny’s home, then fastest 500. Sunny and I could hardly digest what was happening.”
And it still seems unreal. As Gadar turns 25, it’s time to revisit the film – relive the romance and rage of Tara Singh as he uproots a handpump and then melts into the warmth of love with Sakeena. Time to see Tara Singh once again with his ‘gaddi‘ and hear the tune of Udd Ja Kaale Kaawan as he returns to Hindustan.
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