Opinion | Gadar 2: Another Sequel That Could Become A Blockbuster

Will Anil Sharma’s period drama Gadar 2 become the second all-time Bollywood blockbuster of the year after Siddharth Anand’s action thriller Pathaan? That is highly possible. Advance bookings for the Sunny Deol-Ameesha Patel starrer have been excellent, and any guesswork about theatrical traffic during the first weekend can misfire badly.

A couple of weeks ago, few would have anticipated such a phenomenal response to Gadar 2. But, while much will depend on the initial feedback of the viewers, a lot has to go wrong for the film to become anything but a huge success. In fact, nobody will be surprised if it becomes the biggest hit of Deol’s long career.

Why has Gadar 2 given rise to so much excitement among the masses?

Circa 2001. Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, Gadar 2’s prequel, had hit the marquee. Also directed by Sharma and starring Deol and Patel as Tara Singh and Sakina, the plot is set during the eventful days of the Partition of India. A well-brewed entertainer, which does not pretend to be subtle, the film has a love story between the protagonists, larger-than-life action sequences, a generous portion of melodrama, and good music composed by the under-rated Uttam Singh. The masses fell in love with Tara, a simple Sikh man who falls in love, sings and becomes a battering ram if necessary, and Sakina, a doe-eyed woman from an aristocratic Muslim family. The unlikely couple took the viewer’s breath away.

Gadar: Ek Prem Katha has its share of flaws. Although the story takes us back to a nightmarish period characterised by uncertainties, unrest and countless tragedies, it makes no visible attempt to be realistic for the most part. But the viewers in 2001 loved what they saw. Nothing else mattered.

Circa 2023. The initial response to Gadar 2 is a reminder that Tara and Sakina live on in the viewer’s memory. Twenty-two years have gone by after the prequel’s release. Deol is in his mid-60s, but the usually fastidious social media has not indulged in criticising the actor for appearing as the hero in a big-budget film. That is definitely because Deol and Patel play a much older couple in the sequel that unfolds in 1971.

The film aims at capitalising on Gadar’s popularity for sure. Although the music has been composed by Mithoon, for instance, the soundtrack incorporates Main Nikla Gaddi Leke and Udd Jaa Kale Kavva, both pop classics from the prequel.

Gadar 2 is a direct sequel, but Amit Rai’s satirical comedy OMG 2 a standalone sequel to OMG – Oh My God! (2012), Umesh Shukla’s film of the same genre. The film stars Akshay Kumar as a messenger of God (changed from God following the CBFC modification), Pankaj Tripathi as a devotee of Lord Shiva whose son gets into trouble in school for immoral conduct, and Yami Gautam as a lawyer in the three principal roles.

OMG 2, which revolves around the importance of sexual education, is a crucial film for Kumar after his series of recent failures. The film has had an ordinary start at the ticket counters, hardly surprising because the Gadar 2 juggernaut has been impossible to counter in the last few days. The encouraging news for OMG 2 is that initial reports are good, and more positive feedback in the first couple of days after release can result in a commercial verdict of the kind Kumar badly needs.

Bollywood producers have been assailed by a lot of bad news in recent times. But, Abhishek Pathak’s crime thriller Drishyam 2 (2022) starring Ajay Devgn, Akshaye Khanna and Tabu, the remake of Jeethu Joseph’s Malayalam film (2021) of the same title, was a big success.

The story of Drishyam 2 revolves around a family that gets into trouble after the elder daughter commits an accidental murder. It is the direct sequel to Nishikant Kamat’s crime thriller Drishyam (2015), also a remake of Joseph’s Malayalam film (2013) of the same title. The Hindi version of Drishyam was a critically acclaimed commercial success. It popularity resulted in curiosity about the next twist in the plot.

The viewer’s interest in the sequel, in other words, was inevitable. Like OMG 2, Anees Bazmee’s comedy horror film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) starring Tabu, Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani is a standalone sequel to Priyadarshan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007). BB2 was a blockbuster, partly because the film managed to live up to the expectations of those who had watched its prequel – and loved it thoroughly.

Viewers, who watch a sequel to a successful film, expect a new offering that is as good, or better, than its predecessor. OMG 2 and Gadar 2 will face the same challenge, although the latter will have what the former will not: a less critical average viewer.