“Gadar Was Called Gutter”- Anil Sharma Exclusive On Gadar 1 & 2 | Bharathi S Pradhan

Your film (Gadar 2) is trending. How do you feel?

Anil: Gadar is not my film. It’s a film of the public and it’s the public who is making it trend. Gadar is not a film, it’s an emotion. Public can make anyone rise and can make anyone fall. So, I am thankful to the people.

What is it about Gadar 1 that worked in such a big way at that time? Even at that time, it faced a clash with Lagaan and both films had done well.

Anil: People resonated with Gadar’s emotions, love story, message and connectivity. Gadar hui to blockbuster but logon ne Gadar ki qadar nahi ki (At that time, Gadar was a big blockbuster but people didn’t appreciate it). But that’s fine. It happened with Mughal-E-Azam as well. Even that film was not appreciated and got no awards. Same thing happened with Sholay and Gadar. But the masses appreciated these films. Us waqt industry ne bola, Gadar gutter hai, aise bhi review aaye (At that time, the industry said that Gadar is a Gutter film, such were some reviews). The first review that I got, mentioned ‘Gutter: Ek Prem Katha’. An English newspaper mentioned that this film doesn’t even qualify for a review. I still don’t know why people wrote such things. And those three journalists who wrote such things haven’t come face to face with me in these 22 years. I really wish to meet them and ask what were they thinking while writing those things about my film.

Gadar was an emotion of public. It had the Katha of Ramayan. Ram wanted to bring Sita from Lanka. And, Gadar had the same story. Lanka was turned into Pakistan according to modern times. That’s why it connected with the audience.

How did the idea of Gadar come to you?

Anil: In those days, I really wanted to make a period film. As a director, I wanted to create something new. We were working on a lot of stories. We were also working on a project called ‘Kashmir’. It was an amazing script and revolved around the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. For the film, we were in talks with Dilip Kumar and Dharmendra. Dilip Sahab had said ‘yes’ to the film.

One day, I asked my writer, Shaktimaan, that I need a sub-plot in the second half of the film. I wanted a love story between a Kashmiri boy and a Pakistani girl. So, Shakitmaan ji told me a real-life story and when I heard it, I wanted to make a film on it. So, I put the Kashmir project on the backseat.

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The story of Kashmir is still relevant today. Recently, a film on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits was made. At that time, I had the story of Kashmir, and I had the starcast, but as a director, I wanted to make a film on that subplot. I apologized to all the actors. It’s unfortunate that I didn’t get to work with him. I regret it.

So, your subplot became a blockbuster. To this date, it’s a AAA at the box office.

Anil: Yes, yes! Gadar was re-released recently. We had planned the premiere on just a weekend at selected screens. But due to the demand, the film reached 400 theatres and the film was running houseful for 3 weeks. People were clapping and whistling.

Why did it take 22 years to make Gadar 2?

Anil: I didn’t want to use the brand just for the sake of it like people pick up any random story for the sequel. I actually wanted to move forward the story of this family. And I was unable to crack the right story for this family. We worked on several stories, people narrated me a lot of them, but it wasn’t clicking. 20 years went by.

One day we were busy with prayers at our home during Navratri and Shaktimaan ji came. He narrated me an idea and it immediately clicked me the way Gadar 1 did. Even at that time, I was working on another film. Then I narrated it to Utkarsh, then Sunny, and others, and everyone immediately said yes to it.

For Gadar 2, you have the same actors, writer and cinematographer as the first part. You must be missing Amrish Puri Ji.

Anil: Amrish Puri Ji, Anand Bakshi Sahab and Vivek Shauq. We just wish these people were there with us today.

Whom do you have as an antagonist this time?

Anil: It’s Manish Wadhwa. He is a phenomenal actor. He has done Chanakaya and several other projects. He plays a very strong character.

Utkarsh, you were there in Gadar 1 and you were a kid. Do you remember anything at all about it?

Utkarsh: I do, like every child has some hint of memories from their childhood. I don’t think I remember much before Gadar, but I do remember everything about Gadar. It was such a good trauma that I remember everything. My parents always wanted me to focus on my studies and even I was inclined towards my toys and cricket. But such a situation cropped up when they needed a child who could do whatever stunts they say day and night and could skip school for 6 months. At that time, he (Anil Sharma) asked me if I wanted to act. And I rejected it. But then he got worried about how to shoot. And then, I remember saying, ‘Ok, I will do it, since you look so worried’. I was 4-5 years old.

We were doing crazy things at shooting. I was made to do a 72-hour schedule.

Anil: We put him on Sunny’s shoulder and Sunny was running and jumping on the top of one train compartment to another. He used to do riddles with Amrish Puri ji.

Utkarsh: With him (Amrish Puri), I had a very fun relationship and with the rest of the cast also. I was a kid, so everybody loved me.

The train sequence with Sunny Sir, I just remember clutching him so hard, I must be choking him. I was like, ‘My life is in your hands now’. We shot so much in the mountains that I ended up disliking them.

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Do you remember working with Sunny at that time? And what it is like to work with him 22 years later?

Utkarsh: I think it is the same because he hasn’t changed one bit as a human. He is still very humble and kind. But as an actor, I have got to know him a little better now. I observed that whenever he has an important scene to shoot, he paces around the location and makes his graph about how he wants to perform, he figures it out. I didn’t know about it earlier. I used to observe him from afar and see what he is trying to think and where he is trying to go. Once I remember yelling out while he was pacing around, “This is right sir, what you are thinking’.

He is a very good team player as an actor. He once told me, ‘It’s not just me who has to score a six in this scene. Even you’ll have to score a six, only then it will become great’.

So, he has a way of motivating you. I have grown a chemistry with him. He is a family man. I know how strongly he feels for his family. So, it was easier to connect with him on an emotional level.

At the time of Gadar 1, you must not be aware of Sunny Deol’s stardom.

Utkarsh: No, no, I was! I had seen Border in theatres. I remember going crazy while watching Border also. I remember his Bazuka scene clearly. He had a strong image at that time. People used to say, “Body ho to Sunny jaisi”. Moreover, Papa had worked so much with Dharam Ji and was now working with Sunny Sir in Gadar. So, I was aware of his macho-ism. I knew that he is ‘The Sunny Deol’. I was even star-struck with Amrish Puri.

Anil Ji, Gadar 1 is well-known for that water pump scene. To this date, people remember it. Do you have that kind of masala in Gadar 2 as well?

Anil: The film is releasing on 11 August. You’ll know.

I don’t look at a film as ‘masala’. A film moves forward with its character and their story.

In Gadar, you showed inter-faith marriage, cross-border marriage, romance and action. You even showed how Indians feel about Pakistan and vice versa. You have told everything in Gadar. So, what new are you gonna tell us in Gadar 2?

Anil: It’s coming on 11th August.

It’s about father and son. It is the story of a family with the most focus on the father and son relationship.

Gadar 1 had the most fiery dialogues. Does Gadar 2 have such fiery dialogues too?

Anil: Some of them are already there in the trailer. So, there are many such dialogues in the film.

What is your expectation of Gadar 2, at the box office and with the people?

Anil: It’s already doing well as the advance booking is open. I am so thankful to the people.

Utkarsh: We just want to win maximum number of hearts. As an actor, you just want to be a part of legendary films. And an actor gets to be a part of a legendary film in one or two films in his life. I hope this ends up being another feather in his (Anil) cap and in the caps of all of us actors.

OMG 2 is also coming with Gadar 2. It is also a franchise. Does that bother you at all?

Anil: No, No! There are millions of people in this country so it doesn’t matter if two films come out together. It won’t even matter if 200 films are released together.

When Barbie and Oppenheimer came out together, people watched both of them. Even I go and watch two films together.

Do you think that the only competition to Gadar 2 is Gadar 1?

Anil: Yes, it feels so! People will compare Gadar 2 with Gadar 1. They might even end up saying “Kya Gadar thi vo”. So, they’ll be appreciating Gadar 1. I am not aware of what they’ll say about Gadar 2, but I am pretty sure that they’ll praise Gadar 1, even if they didn’t praise it earlier.

You are still hurt about that Gutter comment?

I just laugh at it now. I find it foolish.

After Gadar, some Gulf places banned Sunny Deol. They felt he is anti-Pakistan.

Anil: Gadar 2 is releasing in Gulf countries. And Gadar is the biggest hit in Pakistan.

Utkarsh: Gadar was watched more in Pakistan than in India. They have seen it as a film, which is incredible. I am sure they are gonna watch Gadar 2 also.

How is Jeete of 2001 and how is he in 2023?

Utkarsh: Certain traits of the Jeete of 2001 will be carried forward in Gadar 2. The first trait is that he loves his family and he is very protective of his mother. Now he is 20 or 21-year-old and he is at a place where he is a young adult. He is not really an adult and he is not really a kid anymore. So he is between adulthood and adolescence. He makes mistakes but he loves his family more than anything. And he loves his country.

Anil Ji, what was it like working with Sunny Deol 21 years ago and what was it like now? What is the change you have seen in him?

Anil: Sunny is still the same. He never does a scene thinking that he’ll get claps for it. He just focuses on being in the character. With time, he has become more mature, he has become a much better actor.

What was it like shooting these major action scenes? Any problems shooting them?

Anil: Not at all. In Gadar 1 and in Gadar 2, I shot real action sequences. You can’t get raw action with VFX. It is a bit challenging but it has its own fun. I might have blasted 500 bombs, and blew up 30-40 cars. For Gadar 2, we made a tank and blew it. So, we have gone for real action in both films.

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Generally, people are doing VFX action these days. But the effect of real dust, and real fire is totally different. So, it is one major characteristic of our film. We have also focused on making a big film with a small budget.

Do you want to tell me what the budget is?

Anil: The budget has been very reasonable. And it would be better if Zee Studios talks about it. But what people say in the market is not true. The budget is much less than Rs 100 cr.

We have controlled the fees of people. Even Sunny Deol compromised a lot in his fees.

These days, heroes and directors charge huge amounts of fees. People are making films with Rs 500 crore budget from which the hero takes away Rs 150-200 cr. But we decided to invest money in production. Army was a big support to us. They gave us tanks, jawaans, and locations. So, I am very thankful to Indian Army.

Were you able to control a big crowd?

Anil: In Gadar 1, we managed 50,000 people. I take 8-9 cameras and I plan my execution. When you think of something, you can do it.

So, you got a lot of local help?

Anil: Yes, we got a lot of local help. We shot in Uttar Pradesh and got a lot of help from the Ministry. Mukul Ji, the DGP helped us a lot. We were able to block main roads and shoot there. We did blasts at a main bridge. You can only imagine how we did all that.

Which are the places where you have shot?

Anil: I shot in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Ahmednagar (Maharashtra), Palampur (Himachal Pradesh), and in Punjab as well. And I got state help everywhere.

The good thing these days is that every state government helps filmmakers. They even give subsidies. In any state we go to, the entire government stands with the filmmaker to help with the shooting. I don’t know why the Maharashtra government doesn’t help in the same manner. I wish such help was given in Mumbai too. Even in smaller cities of Maharashtra, we get help. But maybe, Mumbai is a big city and is in nobody’s control. But the least a government can do is provide subsidies.

Would you like to guess what your box office is going to be?

Anil: It will be very good. People will support it.

Utkarsh: I don’t want to give a figure. I just want the film to make a place in people’s hearts. There’s no bigger box office than that. I just want that we earn so much that we are able to make 10 more films and the industry progresses.

Anil: See, everybody wants figures. I want the film to earn Rs 5000 crore. Why won’t I want it? There’s nothing wrong in wishing for it. But it is all in the public’s hands.

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