Gadar was released in 2001 and was a nationwide sensation. Gadar is the most watched Bollywood film of this millennium. It is amongst one of the most loved Indian films.
22 years later, makers have released a sequel to Bollywood’s most successful film of this millennium. Anil Sharma kills and destroys the legacy of Gadar with his outdated presentation and low grade film-making.
Gadar 2 seems to be a very late sequel today’s date. If the film would have been released back in 2002-03 it would have created havoc at the Box Office. The treatment given to Gadar 2 is very outdated. Things should change according to time, but Anil Sharma did not care about it. He still seems to be living in 80s and 90s and his narrow minded thinking hurts the narrative.
It seems like makers have made Gadar 2 only to make money. They just used the brand name and killed the legacy. Gadar is an emotion and makers have played with emotions and fooled the audience.
Performance wise Sunny Deol delivers for what he is best known for. His powerful voice doesn’t fail to give us goosebumps. Wish he had more screen presence just like the prequel. Ameesha Patel is just in the film for namesake. There won’t be any surprise if she gets unnoticed. Ameesha tries very hard to act but fails miserably. Utkarsh Sharma should not act in films and do something else to succeed in career. He is very irritating whenever appears on-screen. Simrat Kaur is another mis casting who does nothing on-screen. Simrat is just physically present on-screen. Manish Wadhwa delivers a fine performance. Rest of the cast is below average.
Sunny Deol is the only actor of his generation who can perform high octane action scenes with a badass attitude and unmatchable swag. Sunny Deol is still the same that he used to be in the 80s, 90s and 2000s. No one could have pulled off this character, except for Sunny Deol himself. I would like to thank Anil Sharma for making Gadar 2 for one reason that he brought the good old days back where we see Sunny Deol performing what he is best known for. Sunny Deol is unmatchable at the age of 65.
Watch out for the handpump scene, climax scene, action scenes and post interval action block. Sunny Deol is a complete riot on all these action sequences.
The 1st half of Gadar is total crap. The only enjoyable things in the 1st half are the 2 songs – Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava and Main Nikla Gaddi Leke. Sunny Deol hardly has any screen presence in the 1st half. Anil Sharma has kept his son (Utkarsh Sharma) forward in the majority of scenes. The 1st half is no less than a television serial or daily soap advertisement. Even if you skip the 1st half and directly watch the 2nd half, you won’t miss a single thing.
The 2nd half is full of action and pure mass. After an unbearable torture, 2nd half offers something for masses. The 2nd half is strictly for masses who like to watch no brainer masala entertainers. Those action scenes are outdated, but it creates a different atmosphere on-screen. Sunny Deol is in the top form throughout the 2nd half.
Gadar 2 is a complete bore in the 1st half but the 2nd half somewhat recovers that with Sunny Deol’s electrifying screen presence.
Gadar 2 is set in 1971 and so is the treatment given. You can easily predict those melodramatic scenes. Anil Sharma’s vision is very limited and offers nothing new.
The magic of Gadar is completely missing here. Gadar was full of drama, emotions, music, action, patriotism, love story, etc. Gadar 2 has nothing which stays or connects with you. Action scenes give the vibe of a 90s and 2000s action entertainer, but can be enjoyed for Sunny Deol’s energetic screen presence.
Some films should be left untouched and some films don’t deserve unnecessary sequels. Sunny Deol repeated the mistake for the 2nd time after Ghayal Once Again. Ghayal Once Again was a sequel which no one asked for and Gadar 2 also falls in the same place.
The best thing about Gadar 2 is its music and credit goes to Gadar. Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava seems better than the original one, which is a rare thing. The music and vocals give you a beautiful feeling. It’s an evergreen and timeless track. Legendary combo of Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik steals your hearts once again and makes you feel nostalgic. Main Nikla Gaddi Leke is a wonderful peppy number which won’t fail to make you dance. It is not just a song but an emotion. Gadar is incomplete without these 2 tracks. Dil Jhoom gets a boost with Arijit Singh’s voice. Remaining tracks are decent and are situational.
Gadar tries to bring back the nostalgia with some scenes only to hurt our emotions. It’s heartbreaking and sad to see Anil Sharma destroying Gadar 2. Sunny Deol destroys enemies with a hammer and Anil Sharma destroys the film. Gadar 2 is a Katha which shouldn’t have continued.
Overall Gadar 2 is nowhere near to Gadar. It fails to create the magic of Gadar. Gadar 2 is not even half of Gadar. Makers have played with emotions and fooled the audience. The brand of Gadar is misused. Gadar 2 is an unwanted sequel in today’s time. The only 3 reasons to watch Gadar 2 are Sunny Deol, action scenes and songs (Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava and Main Nikla Gaddi Leke). Gadar 2 should be skipped to respect Gadar’s legacy.
Rating – 2/5*
