A sequel to the 2001 film Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, ‘Gadar 2’ was released worldwide on August 11, 2023. The film stars Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma reprising their roles from the first film. The first part of the movie, released 22 years ago, was one of the highest grossers of that year. Back in 2001, Gadar released against Lagaan, and both films did exceedingly well at the box office. However, Gadar was the bigger moneymaker in India. The sequel has kept up well with the feat of the prequel. The film is still in its first week in theatres but has already become the second-highest domestic grosser of the year, after Pathaan. The Shah Rukh Khan film made Rs 543.05 crore in India.
Gadar 2, directed by Anil Sharma, stands at the earning of 261.35 Cr on its sixth day according to industry tracker Sacnilk. It had an impressive opening at 40 crore on Friday and went up to reach 51 crore on Sunday. It slowed down to 38.7 crore on Monday but its collection of 55 crores on Independence Day left many analysts wondering if it could now beat the year’s blockbuster Pathaan. The film has been performing exceedingly well at the cinemas despite competition from OMG 2, which was released on the same day, and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, which had been performing well since its release. With this speed, the movie won’t take very long to cross 300 crore mark.
A major factor that catalysed this commercial success is the Nostalgia in screenplay, songs and characters. While a few novel changes have been made in the songs, they still sound as evergreen and evoke a thousand emotions in the hearts of listeners. In terms of screenplay, almost the entire first half of the film revisits the iconic scenes from Gadar EK Prem Katha. The promos have done a lot to invite the audiences back to the theatres, and relive the magic of Gadar Ek Prem Katha. Additionally, the movie hit the theatres well ahead of Independence Day. Given the mood of the nation, Gadar 2 ably rides high on the patriotic feel of the narrative. Hence, it is anticipated that the movie may surpass Pathan to become the highest grossing film this year.
