Gadar 2 (transl. Rebellion 2), subtitled on-screen with The Katha Continues, is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language period action drama film directed by Anil Sharma and written by Shaktimaan Talwar.[5] It is a sequel to Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001) with Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma reprising their starring roles from the previous film.[6] During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Tara Singh returns to India and Pakistan in order to rescue his imprisoned son Jeete.

Gadar 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAnil Sharma
Written byShaktimaan Talwar
Produced byAnil Sharma
Kamal Mukut
Starring
Narrated byNana Patekar
CinematographyNajeeb Khan
Edited byAshfaque Makrani
Sanjay Sankla
Music bySongs:
Mithoon
Uttam Singh
Monty Sharma
Background Score:
Monty Sharma
Production
companies
Distributed byZee Studios
Release date
  • 11 August 2023 (2023-08-11)
Running time
173 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹60 crore[2][3]
Box office₹691.08 crore[4]

Gadar 2 was theatrically released on 11 August 2023 to negative reviews from critics. A major commercial success, it grossed over 691.08 crore (US$83 million) worldwide against a production budget of 60 crore (US$7.2 million), becoming the fifth highest-grossing Indian film of 2023, the ninth highest-grossing Hindi film of all-time, and the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film in India.[7][8][9]

Plot

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In 1954, Hamid Iqbal, the General of Pakistan Army, wants to exact vengeance on Tara Singh for eliminating his 40 soldiers during Tara's escape from Pakistan with his wife Sakeena and his son Charanjeet "Jeete".[a] Iqbal gets Sakeena's father Ashraf Ali executed for aiding Tara in his escape to India.

In 1971, Tara, a goods supplier to the Indian Army cantonment, lives with Sakeena and Jeete, who soon leaves for Chandigarh for his studies. One day, Tara is contacted by Lt. Colonel Devendra Rawat for help in supplying Indian soldiers with weapons as a skirmish is taking place with the Pakistani soldiers at the border during the Third Indo-Pak War. After reaching there, Tara is spotted by Iqbal, who orders an explosion at the border, leading to many of the soldiers getting captured. Jeete returns from Chandigarh to find Sakeena in shambles. Upon learning about Tara's disappearance at the border, Jeete leaves for Pakistan against everyone's wishes to rescue Tara.

After arriving in Pakistan, Jeete meets Tara's close friend Gul Khan, who helps him secure a job at Kurban Khan's hotel, which supplies food to the captive Indian soldiers. Jeete meets and gets close to Kurban's daughter Muskaan, who continues to support him upon learning that Jeete is an Indian and had come there to rescue his father. Jeete infiltrates the prison only to get captured and discovers that Tara was never captured. On the other hand, Tara resurfaces in Punjab and reunites with Sakeena, revealing that he fell into a stream and was rescued by a Bakarwal tribe, but went into a coma. Upon learning that Jeete is in Pakistan and his communication has stopped, Tara leaves for Pakistan to extract Jeete from prison.

Landing in Pakistan, Tara meets Gul Khan and learns about Jeete's capture. Iqbal beats up Jeete and gets him publicly humiliated by falsely accusing him of assaulting Muskaan, who is forced to lie to protect Kurban. However, Tara arrives and escapes with Jeete amidst the Pakistani army. Yahya Khan, the President of Pakistan and the Commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army, orders a humiliated Iqbal to capture Tara within 72 hours. Tara and his team contact Sakeena, but are chased by Iqbal's men, eventually getting separated. Following a series of combats and chases, Tara and Jeete finally reunite and are on their way to leave Pakistan when Muskaan and Kurban Khan shows up with their family, who are planning to leave for Balochistan.

Kurban Khan asks Tara to accept Muskaan as Jeete's bride, to which Jeete and Tara happily agree. However, Iqbal captures them in an ambush and kills Muskaan's brother Farid. Iqbal tries to execute them but Tara frees himself and with Jeete fights the army singlehandedly, escaping with everybody in a army tank. They arrive at the Indian border, where Iqbal again tries to kill Tara, but is gunned down by Rawat and the Indian soldiers. Rawat approves Jeete to enlist in the army, while Tara, Jeete and Muskaan reunite with Sakeena.

Cast

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Archive footage from the first film and CGI was used for Amrish Puri's character as Ashraf Ali, Sakeena's father.

Production

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Development

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Zee Studios, Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma officially announced Gadar 2: The Katha Continues on 15 October 2021 (Dusshera) on their social media accounts, revealing the release date 2022 with motion poster.[6] The first poster of the sequel titled Gadar 2 was unveiled on 26 January 2023 (Republic Day) and it shows Tara Singh, played by Sunny, with a hammer.

Casting

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Sunny Deol reprises his role of Tara Singh, but was initially hesitant about revisiting the role, believing that films like Gadar: Ek Prem Katha can be made only once in history. He states, "We had made Gadar but the audience made it a Blockbuster. Initially, I was a bit apprehensive about whether we would do justice and continue the legacy of the first part." The film's director Anil Sharma revealed how he convinced Deol to return, stating, "When I narrated Gadar 2, Sunny was a little hesitant because he felt Gadar was a blockbuster and didn't want to meddle with it. But I requested him that the entire nation has been requesting a sequel and we should respect their emotions. After many calls, he finally agreed to hear the story. When we sat down for narration and finished it, he had tears in his eyes. That's how the journey of Gadar 2 started."[10]

Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma also reprise their roles of Sakeena and Charanjeet "Jeete" Singh from the first film.[citation needed] Simrat Kaur was also cast for the film.[citation needed] Manish Wadhwa was offered the role of a Pakistani army general in the film. Rohit Choudhary, was also cast in the role of a Pakistani army general in the film. Luv Sinha and Gaurav Chopra have also been cast in important role. The shoot of the film was wrapped up by May 2023.[11] Writer Shaktimaan revealed the character of Gul Khan played by Mushtaq Khan was based on a real person Qasi Sahab who gave his father shelter in his home during the communal riots.[12]

Ashraf Ali, Sakeena's father, played by Amrish Puri in the first film; also appears in this film. Puri died in 2005 and his likeness was used to bring back the character through archive footage from Gadar: Ek Prem Katha and computer-generated imagery.[13]

Soundtrack

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The film's music is composed by Mithoon, Uttam Singh (uncredited) and Monty Sharma, while lyrics are written by Sayeed Quadri and Sunil Sirvaiya.[14] Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik reprise their roles as the singing voices of Deol and Patel, respectively.

The first single titled "Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava" was released on 29 June 2023.[15] The second single titled "Khairiyat" was released on 9 July 2023.[16] The third single titled "Main Nikla Gaddi Leke" was released on 20 July 2023.[17] The soundtrack album released by Zee Music Company on 4 August 2023, followed by an extended album on 8 September 2023.[18]

Release

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Gadar 2 was theatrically released on 11 August 2023. The box-office response prompted several cinemas to play post-midnight and early morning shows of the film.[19]

Home media

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The film was premiered on ZEE5 from 6 October 2023.[20] It enjoyed a highly successful launch, quickly topping global viewership charts upon its release.[21]

Reception

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Box office

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On its opening day, Gadar 2 collected a total India net of 40.10 crore (US$4.8 million).[22] In its first weekend, it collected over 134.88 crore (US$16 million), making it ninth top opening weekend for Hindi films.[23]

As of 14 September 2023, the film has grossed 625.54 crore (US$75 million) in India, with a further 65.54 crore (US$7.9 million) in overseas, for a worldwide total of 691.08 crore (US$83 million).[4]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 17% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.2/10.[24]

Taran Adarsh gave the film 4.5/5 stars and wrote “Gadar 2 is old-school desi entertainment at its best. Sunny Deol returns to the big screen with a vengeance… He is as ferocious as ever. The patriotic flavour coupled with tremendous recall value will make it a huge money-spinner. Gadar 2 lives up to massive expectations… Has it all: drama, emotions, action, two beautiful songs [from the first part] and the hand pump sequence, of course. Anil Sharma makes sure he packs every ingredient on the shelf to create a big-screen entertainer.” [25]

Anindita Mukherjee from India Today gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Gadar 2 supersedes expectations, as it successfully tugs at your heartstrings. And there's Sunny Paaji to do all the heavy-lifting (pun intended).[26] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "What we can confirm is that Sunny paaji can still snarl effectively, and that dhai-kilo-ka-haath has residual potency. We can also confirm the reappearance of a hand-pump.[27]

Anuj Kumar from The Hindu wrote "It is not as provocative as the original as driver Anil Sharma seeks to take a middle path. Perhaps, it feels like that because the socio-political atmosphere outside the theatre has become much more dramatic and shrill than what it was when the original released in 2001. Still, it is good that Sharma has toned down the jingoistic tone."[28] Komal Nahta said that "Gadar 2’ is not a film, its a celebration, an emotion that touches the heart of every Indian."[29] Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times wrote "Gadar 2 does falter in terms of story and its pace, though it brings back the mass entertainment and that can surely make it a paisa vasool watch."[30]

Gadar 2 also became the first film screened for Lok Sabha members in the New Parliament building.[31]

Accolades

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Award Ceremony date Category Recipients Result Ref.
Filmfare Awards 28 January 2024 Best Actor Sunny Deol Nominated [32]
Best Action Ravi Varma, Shaam Kaushal, Abbas Ali Moghul and Tinu Verma
Best Special Effects Prisca, Pixel Studios
International Indian Film Academy Awards 28 September 2024 Best Actor Sunny Deol Nominated [33]
[34]
[35]
Zee Cine Awards 2024 Best Film Gadar 2 Won [citation needed]
Best Actor (Viewer's Choice) Sunny Deol
Best Dialogue Shaktimaan Talwar
Best Sound Design Jitendra Chaudhary
Best Actor (Jury's Choice) Sunny Deol Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Ameesha Patel
Best Actor in a Negative Role Manish Wadhwa
Lions Gold Awards 2023 Best Debut Actress Simratt Kaur Randhawa Won
Iconic Gold Awards 2024 Game Changer Movie of the Year Anil Sharma Won
Singer of the Year Udit Narayan
Pinkvilla Style Icons Awards 2024 Best Film - Popular Choice Gadar 2 Nominated
Best Director - Popular Choice Anil Sharma
Best Actor - Male - Popular Choice Sunny Deol
Outstanding Contribution To Cinema Anil Sharma Won
Best Actor in a Negative Role Manish Wadhwa Nominated
NDTV Indian of the Year 2024 Entertainer of the Year Sunny Deol Won

Sequel

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A sequel was announced during the end credits. Anil Sharma said "You'll have to wait for that. The fruit of patience is sweet, just like this one (Gadar 2). Some thoughts have come to me and Shaktimaan Ji's minds. So just wait everything will happen.”[36]

Notes

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  1. ^ As depicted in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001).

References

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  1. ^ "CBFC clears Gadar 2 with UA certificate, the film is 170 minutes long". Bollywood Hungama. 1 August 2023. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Anil Sharma says cast and crew took 'naa ke barabar' salaries for Gadar 2, extras agreed to work just for free food". The Indian Express. 6 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Anil Sharma talks about Gadar 2's budget". PinkVilla. 24 August 2023. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Gadar 2 Box Office". Bollywood Hungama. 12 August 2023. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Real Hero: 'गदर' में 'तारा सिंह' ने किया कमाल, लेकिन असल हीरो रहे पर्दे के पीछे, यश चोपड़ा ने खुद किया था फोन". News18 हिंदी (in Hindi). 14 June 2023. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Gadar 2: Sunny Deol confirms sequel on Dussehra". The Indian Express. 15 October 2021. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Bollywood Top Grossers Worldwide 2023". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  8. ^ "'Gadar 2' surpasses 'Baahubali 2' to become second highest-grossing Hindi film of all time". Business Today (India). 9 September 2023. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  9. ^ Hungama, Bollywood (8 January 2024). "From Jawan's Rs. 600+ crores to 21 films earning in Rs. 0-1 crore range, here are the MOST DEFINITIVE box office RECORDS of 2023". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Sunny Deol reveals 'he was a bit scared about making gadar 2'". The Times of India. 27 July 2023. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Gadar 2 director Anil Sharma completes patchwork shoot for Sunny Deol starrer; dances on 'Main Nikla Gaddi Leke' with crew, watch". Bollywood Hungama. 31 May 2023. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Gadar is a powerful word that came out of Partition". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  13. ^ Seta, Fenil (11 August 2023). "Amrish Puri created through CGI for a very important shot in Sunny Deol-starrer Gadar 2". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  14. ^ Bureau, ABP News (14 February 2023). "Sunny Deol And Ameesha Patel's New Motion Poster Of 'Gadar 2' Out On Valentine's Day". news.abplive.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  15. ^ "Gadar 2: Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel showcase their chemistry in new version of 'Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava'". Bollywood Hungama. 29 June 2023. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  16. ^ "Gadar 2 song Khairiyat: Sunny Deol crosses mountains to bring son home, Ameesha Patel prays for their safe return". Hindustan Times. 9 July 2023. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  17. ^ "Gadar 2: Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel In Main Nikla Gaddi Leke 2.0". NDTV. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  18. ^ Gadar 2 - Extended Full Album | Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel, Utkarsh S | Mithoon, Uttam Singh, Monty S, 6 October 2023, archived from the original on 4 November 2023, retrieved 8 January 2024
  19. ^ "BREAKING: Gadar 2 sets a record; several theatres in small towns to play post-midnight and early morning shows for the FIRST TIME ever; Inox Raj Imperial, Surat to screen 13 shows between 12 AM and 6 AM". Bollywood Hungama. 12 August 2023. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  20. ^ "Sunny Deol-starrer Gadar 2 to stream on ZEE5 from this date". The Indian Express. 4 October 2023. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  21. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (7 June 2024). "Sunny Deol's 'Gadar 2,' Manoj Bajpayee's 'Silence 2' Popular as ZEE5 Global Audiences Choose Sequels (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  22. ^ Mukhopadhyay, Sounak (16 August 2023). "'Gadar 2' emerges as Box Office sensation: Check 5-day collections". Mint. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  23. ^ "All time top opening weekend - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  24. ^ "Gadar 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  25. ^ "Gadar 2 Box Office Collection Day 2: Sunny Deol's Film "Roars" At ₹ 43 Crore". NDTV. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  26. ^ "'Gadar 2' Review: Sunny Deol film is entertainment, entertainment and entertainment!". India Today. 11 August 2023. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
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  28. ^ "'Gadar 2' movie review: Sunny Deol is superb in this middling sequel". The Hindu. 11 August 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  29. ^ "Gadar 2 Box Office Collection Day 1: Movie may shatter several records". Business Standard. 11 August 2023. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  30. ^ "Gadar 2 review: Sunny Deol's chest-thumping actioner is stale, could have been avoided". Hindustan Times. 11 August 2023. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Sunny Deol's Gadar 2 becomes first film to be screened at New Parliament, director reacts". cnbctv18. 25 August 2023. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  32. ^ "Nominations for the 69th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2024 with Gujarat Tourism: Full list out". filmfare.com. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  33. ^ "IIFA Awards Announces It's [sic] Highly Anticipated 2024 Nominations". IIFA. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  34. ^ "IIFA 2024: Shah Rukh Khan Wins Best Actor, Rani Mukerji Bags Best Actress Award. Check Out Full List Of Winners". ndtv.com. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  35. ^ "IIFA Unveils 2024 Technical Awards Winners: Honouring the Trailblazers of Indian Cinema!". IIFA. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  36. ^ "Is Gadar 3 on the cards? Here's what Gadar 2 director Anil Sharma told fans about Sunny Deol's film". Hindustan Times. 15 August 2023. Archived from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
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