Anil Sharma’s Gadar 2 starring Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma has been creating a tsunami at the box office and there are slim chances of it slowing down. On its first day, it minted more than a whopping Rs 40 crore and became the second-highest opener of 2023 following Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan. In a week’s time, Gadar 2 has touched the Rs 300 crore mark. It also became the biggest Independence Day grosser in the history of Indian cinema. In a rarity, the film industry, right from Salman Khan to Anupam Kher and Kangana Ranaut, has come together to express their joy about the massive success of the film. So, what worked in favour of the film that has received a lukewarm response from critics and has a lengthy runtime of 2 hour 45 minutes? Is it the recall value of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, its patriotic theme, a long first weekend or Deol’s raw star power as Tara Singh?
Actor Suniel Shetty, in an exclusive chat with News18 a while back, attributed the excitement and anticipation surrounding Gadar 2 to ‘nostalgia’. Producer and film business expert Girish Johar echoes his sentiments and states, “Primarily, it’s working on nostalgia. People who resonated with the earlier one are now enjoying the second part.”
Lead actress Patel too feels nostalgia is bringing in large crowds to theatres. “I think it’s the high nostalgic value coupled with the curiosity to see what happens in Tara and Sakeena’s life and their next chapter and the hit music. Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava and Main Nikla Gaddi Leke have been public favourites. Remastered, redone and remixed songs can be completely ruined. But Mithoon has done such an incredible job and has given the old music a new lease of life and rendered another layer to nostalgia,” she elaborates.
The solid entertainment value and high-voltage action sequences in the film also seems to have played a role in making the film an instant blockbuster. “They’re finding Gadar 2 very entertaining. People loved RRR, Pathaan and KGF because of the stylised action sequences. They are loving Gadar 2 too because it’s a paisa vasool entertainer. Cinema, at the end of the day, is a means to provide entertainment and it is said to transcend us into another world. Gadar is all about action, fights and the loud roaring voice of Sunny Deol, which is nostalgic,” Johar explains.
Earlier this week, director Milap Milan Zaveri took to Instagram to share a post that read ‘… Gadar 2 creates records, hysteria and pandemonium at the Box office once again underlining that DESI COMMERCIAL MASS CINEMA will ALWAYS win hearts of audiences… (sic)’. Highlighting his sentiment, he tells us, “There were many audiences who had watched Gadar: Ek Prem Katha and was eager to see Gadar 2 and the latter lived up to their expectations. The best part is that it’s an unabashed commercial entertainer and makes no bones about it; it’s not scared to be on the front-foot of commercial cinema. I guess that has connected superbly with the audience.”
For Patel as well, Gadar 2’s quality of being ‘a wholesome family entertainer’ has made it a winner at the box office. She goes on to say, “Any age bracket can watch it without embarrassment. A grandparent can sit and watch it with their grandchild. Parents don’t need to filter anything or shut the eyes or ears of their kids. It caters to the frontbenchers, the stall, the balcony and the multiplex-going audience, and so, it has universally been accepted.”
Johar, further credits the timing of its release, for its staggering box office numbers. “The timing of the film was very good considering it had a nationalistic flavour to it. So, the fact it released close to August 15 also helped the film push boundaries,” he points out.
Zaveri also feels that Deol’s larger-than-life ‘heroism’ has worked wonders for the film as he states, “The desi-ness, the heroism and the emotion of the plot have worked big time. Along with that, Anil sir’s conviction, Sunny sir’s action and power of his dialogues and scenes, and Utkarsh’s innocence have contributed to the film being such a huge hit. This just shows how big a blockbuster Gadar: Ek Prem Katha was. The goodwill and the nostalgia of that film was underestimated by many.”
Not just in north India, Gadar 2 continues its steady run even down south. It has been witnessing excellent occupancy in theatres in Chennai too. Explaining Gadar 2’s remarkable performance in the south, Chennai-based trade analyst Ramesh Bala says, “Gadar 2 has elements of India-Pakistan tension, patriotism and nationalism. Those kinds of films have always done well. There are certain audiences in the south also who watch Hindi movies and have supported films with patriotic sentiments in the past. That’s just being carried forward with Gadar 2.”
He adds, “Metropolitan cities in the south like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai always had audiences who watch Hindi films. They’ve watched both Jailer and Gadar 2. The latter clicked because of its script and for being a sequel to a popular franchise. There’s a connection between the storylines in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha and Gadar 2 and those who’ve watched the former have watched the latter too.”
According to Kamal Gianchandani, Chief Business Planning & Strategy, PVR Inox Ltd, there are a combination of factors behind the ‘triumph’ of Gadar 2 and refers to the money-spinner as ‘a true cinematic gem that effortlessly and impactfully continues the storied legacy of its prequel’. “The heartbeats of this victory resound with the genuine affection of our cherished audience, whose wholehearted embrace of the established success of the characters, storyline, chemistry and emotions is the single largest factor behind the sequel being propelled to soaring heights,” he tells us.
So, at what numbers will Gadar 2’s golden run come to a finish? “The reviews and the audience’s feedback are completely different. The second weekend is going to be crucial. The first weekend was a long one and it was a partial holiday on Wednesday too. On the basis of its second weekend collection, we’ll be able to assess its lifetime collection. You can’t tell how long a film will go on in a theatre. For example, we couldn’t predict the collections of Pathaan until its seventh or eighth day of release. Having said that, Gadar 2 will definitely be in the top five or top six list of highest-grossing Hindi films of all time,” asserts Johar.
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