Indian actor Sunny Deol returns in his avatar of Tara Singh 22 years after he was first seen in the role of a truck driver who marries a Pakistani woman to save her life during the communally-charged violence that happened during the India-Pakistan partition in 1947. With the film Gadar 2 making an opening collection of a little less than $5 million in India alone, Deol has proved his stardom once again at the ticket windows. The Hindi film has roughly grossed $5.7 million globally on day one of the release and made $4.9 million in the Indian market.
Gadar 2 is now the second highest opening film of 2023 in India. Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan remains on top of that list with $6.6 million opening in India when it released in January. Most theatres and multiplexes have reported full-house opening on Friday. Tier-two and tier-three cities in India even reported huge crowds gathering as early as 6am for 9am shows at single-screen theatres on the second day. The film may even cross the $15-million mark by the end of its first weekend itself.
The new film shows an Indian army colonel asking for a civillian – a transport company owner – to help him get ammunition to the border during a gunfire exchange with the neighbouring country. Gaurav Chopraa plays the top army official while Deol is the civillian who is not only sent to the border without any military protection. The civillian is the only one who manages to escape while the enemy kill and/or kidnap everyone on the Indian side.
Sharma has heavily cashed-in on Deol’s fandom and the charm and charisma of Tara Singh from Gadar Ek Prem Katha. The first film was based on the India and Pakistan partition and the second film is also set against the backdrop of the tension brewing between the countries right before they went to war again in 1971. The film refrains from attacking any particular religion, and focusses on slamming individuals who turn religion into a means for the sake of their personal and political agendas. Deol and Chopraa must be lauded for their exceptional performance in the film. Sharma has also essayed his bits to satisfaction.
The nostalgia and fan frenzy apart, there is not much to cherish in the film. Watching Gadar 2 may make one wonder if the world has moved at all since 2001 – the time when Gadar Ek Prem Katha hit theatres. The women in Gadar 2 world are still doing little else than exist, cook and care for the men around her. While caring is a very big, taxing and important chore; ignoring someone’s dreams and aspirations for the sake of one task is quite cruel. For a 2023 film, Gadar 2 appears to be advocating an archaic parenting style with the father beating up his grown up son and the mom simply feeding him his choicest delicacies.
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