Gadar - Ek Prem Katha
Producer: Nitin Keni for Zee
Director: Anil Sharma
Cast: Sunny Deol, Amisha Patel, Amrish Puri, Lilette Dubey, Suresh Oberoi
Anil Sharma’s Gadar - Ek Prem Katha is a love saga set in the troubled times of Partition. A tale of two people who are torn apart due to unavoidable circumstances, the film is a moving depiction of the anguish the innocent suffered in 1947.
Pre-Independence, Tara Singh (Sunny Deol) is a truck driver who meets Sakina (Amisha Patel) at a girl’s hostel where he delivers foodstuff. In no time, both form a silent bond that only grows into mutual liking. But before their relationship can take any serious turn, the country is torn apart.
Sakina hails from a wealthy Muslim family whereas Tara is from the lower Jat background. The riots leave everyone distressed and Sakina’s family decides to leave immediately for Pakistan. But at the station, Sakina loses her family amidst the furious crowds and is saved by Tara Singh when a group of Hindu mobsters discover she is a Muslim. Later, she comes to know that her entire family has been killed in the chaotic rampage.
Sakina and Tara get married despite family opposition. Everything is fine and they start a family, but one day Sakina discovers that her family is hale and hearty in Pakistan. She wants to meet them. Her father too wants her back but without her Jat family. The father plots a scheme and gets his daughter back to Pakistan.
Sakina is miserable without her husband and child but cannot do much to escape. She believes that Tara will rescue her from her parent’s palatial prison and take her back to Punjab. Finally her prayers come true when Tara reaches Pakistan and risks his life to rescue his lady love out from there.
The director has done obviously done a lot of research. Gadar looks authentic. The film is well made and is an honest effort at making a different film. The film’s production values are excellent. Sanjay Dhabade’s art direction is superb, Bhawna Mukatiwala’s costumes are good, Najeeb Khan’s cinematography is first-rate and Uttam Singh’s music is apt for the film.
The film effortlessly takes you back to 1947 when the nation was being broken into two. Considering it is Zee’s first big-budget production, they have done a fantastic job. Of the performances, Sunny Deol is at his best. He’s never looked better and carries the film effortlessly on his broad shoulders. Amisha has improved several folds since KNPH. She’s given a mature and honest performance. All the characters actors including Amrish Puri, Lilette Dubey and Suresh Oberoi are perfectly cast.
In totality, Gadar is way above the mediocre fare that is churned out these days. Even though the film is a bit too long (19 reels), and could be trimmed, the audiences wouldn’t mind that. Gadar is the kind of film you would want to sit through and persist with. It is an endeavour that’s paid off well.