Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel starrer Gadar: Ek Prem Katha is approaching its 25th anniversary on June 15. Recently, Ameesha, who famously portrayed Sakina alongside Sunny Deol’s Tara Singh, recently shared her gratitude for the overwhelming love and adulation she has received ever since the movie first hit theaters.
Pakistani audiences embraced Sakina with open arms
One of the most surprising outcomes of Gadar’s success, according to Ameesha, was the affection she received from Pakistan. In a conversation with NDTV, the actor recalled the response and said, “I got the biggest Pakistani fanbase due to Gadar. I had women calling my secretary. Somehow getting the numbers, elderly women called and said, ‘Kya Ameesha ji, Pakistan ko apne rula diya, Sakina ne rula diya’ (Ameesha you made Pakistan cry. Sakina made Pakistan cry.) Then parents calling and saying ‘humne apne beti ka naam Sakina rakh diya hai’ (Parents called and said they have named their daughter Sakina). They loved Gadar.”
The success was so massive, she barely had time to process it
Even though Gadar: Ek Prem Katha went on to become a success, Ameesha Patel reveals she was simply too overwhelmed with work to process the scale of its success. She said that from the very first day, the movie cemented itself as an unprecedented blockbuster, securing a 100% opening across single-screen theaters nationwide. She noted that the single-screen audiences completely embraced the film.
However, the actor admitted that the relentless pace of Bollywood in the early 2000s left her with no time to celebrate. During that era, actors routinely shot up to five films simultaneously each year. Ameesha found herself constantly rushing from one movie set to the next, juggling a packed schedule that left her completely disconnected from the box office frenzy.
Ameesha makes a big claim about Gadar’s box-office legacy
Reflecting on the franchise’s enduring popularity, Ameesha pointed to the success of both Gadar films and their lasting connection with audiences. She noted that they had come to that journey 25 years later and were still iconic, adding that they had a part two that had created a tsunami at the box office and become iconic.
The actress also claimed that the combined theatrical footfalls of both films place the franchise among the most watched in the country, more that Ranveer Singh starrer Dhurandhar franchise. She said, “We’ve come to this journey 25 years later, and we’re still iconic. And we’ve had a part two that has created a tsunami at the box office and become iconic. And combined, Gadar 1 and Gadar 2 have the biggest footfalls, more than even Dhurandhar 1 and 2. Just purely on footfalls that means the amount of people that have actually entered the cinema houses to watch both films is so heartening and to feel that I am part of the cinematic history, to be privileged, to be blessed.”
About Gadar: Ek Prem Katha
Set against the backdrop of the 1947 Partition of India, the film follows Tara Singh (Sunny Deol), a Sikh truck driver, who rescues and marries Sakina (Ameesha Patel), a Muslim political leader’s daughter left behind in the chaos. Years later, Sakina travels to Pakistan to see her estranged father, who forces her to stay and tries to sever her ties with India. Driven by love and family, Tara travels to Pakistan with their young son Charanjeet, single-handedly battling an entire nation’s political machinery to bring his wife back home.
This was followed by 2023 sequel, Gadar 2. Set in 1971 during the looming Indo-Pakistani War, the sequel moves the story forward by two decades. When Tara Singh goes missing near the border during a skirmish, his now-grown son, Charanjeet (Utkarsh Sharma), sneaks into Pakistan to rescue him. However, Charanjeet ends up captured and tortured by a vengeful Pakistani General, Major General Hamid Iqbal. Upon returning home and discovering his son is in peril, Tara Singh crosses the border once again, unleashing his legendary wrath to rescue his son and bring the family safely back across the border.