# Gadar: Ek Prem Katha

Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (transl. Rebellion: A Love Story) is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language romantic period action drama film directed by Anil Sharma from a story written by Shaktimaan Talwar and set during the Partition of India in 1947. Loosely based on the life of Boota Singh, the film stars Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma in lead roles, alongside Amrish Puri, Lillete Dubey and Vivek Shauq in supporting roles.
Budgeted at approximately ₹190 million (US$4.03 million), Gadar: Ek Prem Katha had a global cinema release on 15 June 2001, opposite Ashutosh Gowariker's sports drama Lagaan. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics, garnered praise towards the dramatic and confrontation sequences, soundtrack and the performances, particularly of Deol, Patel and Puri. the film grossed over ₹768.8 million (US$16.29 million) net in India and ₹1.33 billion (US$28.19 million) worldwide with a distributor share of ₹546 million (US$11.57 million), and went on to emerge as the highest-grossing Hindi film since Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994). Gadar: Ek Prem Katha is the second most-watched Indian film in India since the 1980s after Baahubali 2, recording more than 50 million footfalls in India. According to Box Office India, its adjusted gross in India is ₹4.86 billion (US$103 million) as per 2017 ticket sales. The film was nominated in nine categories in 47th Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Music, while Patel garnered the Filmfare Special Award.
A sequel titled Gadar 2 was released on 11 August 2023 with Deol, Patel and Sharma reprising their roles, and the film became a commercial blockbuster at the box office.

## Plot

During the violent 1947 Partition of India, migrating populations clash across the newly formed borders of India and Pakistan. Tara Singh, an Indian Sikh, initially participating in the killing of Muslims, encounters Sakina Ali, a Muslim woman, amidst the chaos. Recognizing her from their college days, he shields her from a hostile mob. To protect her, he applies blood to her forehead, symbolically claiming her as his Sikh wife.
The film then flashes back to their pre-partition college days. Tara, a truck driver delivering supplies to the college, harbors a passion for singing. Initially, Sakina's friends, prejudiced against his working class background, trick and humiliate him. However, his talent is recognised when he returns and impresses them with his singing. Sakina, moved by his talent, apologizes to him and advocates for him to the college authorities, securing him a performance at a college event. This shared experience forges a connection between them. Upon Sakina's college graduation, Tara gifts her a Taj Mahal miniature as a parting gesture.
The partition's horrors soon engulf Tara's family. His parents and sisters, attempting to migrate, are brutally murdered on a train attacked by a Muslim mob. Tara witnesses the carnage, fueling his retaliatory actions. Alongside other enraged Hindus and Sikhs, he participates in massacres against Muslims fleeing to Pakistan.
Returning to the main timeline, Tara and Sakina live together. Despite the circumstances of their union, and upon learning of her family's supposed death, Sakina integrates into Tara's life. Facing societal pressure due to her religious background, she decides to leave for a refugee camp. However, realizing her love for Tara, they marry and have a son, Jeete.
Their peaceful existence is disrupted when Sakina discovers her parents are alive and residing in Lahore, with her father, Ashraf Ali, now a prominent mayor. She travels to Pakistan, leaving Tara and Jeete behind due to visa complications. In Lahore, she is reunited with her family, but her desire to return to India is met with resistance. Her family, concerned with societal backlash, attempts to arrange her marriage to a Muslim man.
Tara, determined to reunite with Sakina, illegally crosses the border with his son and friend, Darmiyaan. They locate Sakina, disrupting her forced marriage. Ashraf Ali, to salvage his political standing, agrees to their reunion under two conditions: they reside in Pakistan and Tara converts to Islam. Ashraf Ali arranges a public gathering where Tara is made to announce his acceptance of the conditions. Tara accepts the terms, however, Ashraf Ali tries to coerce Tara into insulting India, leading to a violent clash with a mob when Tara refuses.
Tara, Sakina, Jeete, and Darmiyaan escape, seeking refuge in a cottage near the border. The cottage owner’s greedy wife betrays their location to Ashraf Ali, who pursues them. They board a train bound for India, but Ashraf Ali intercepts them. In the ensuing conflict, Sakina is shot and falls into a coma. Upon regaining consciousness, she reunites with Tara and Jeete. Ashraf Ali, witnessing their enduring love, finally accepts Tara as his son-in-law. They return to India, their family reunited.

## Cast

* Sunny Deol as Tara Singh
* Ameesha Patel as Sakeena "Sakku" Ali Singh, Tara Singh's wife
* Amrish Puri as Mayor Ashraf Ali, Sakeena's father and Tara Singh's father-in-law
* Lillete Dubey as Shabana Ali, Sakeena's mother and Tara Singh's mother-in-law
* Vivek Shauq as Darmiyaan Singh, Tara Singh's best friend
* Utkarsh Sharma as Charanjeet "Jeete" Singh, Tara Singh and Sakeena's son
* Suresh Oberoi as Taya Kulwant Singh, Tara Singh's elder uncle
* Madhu Malti as Gurjeet Singh, Tara Singh's elder aunt
* Pramod Moutho as Gurdeep Singh, Tara Singh's father
* Kanika Shivpuri as Parmeet Kaur, Tara Singh's mother
* Mushtaq Khan as Gul Khan
* Dolly Bindra as Samira Khan
* Madhumalti Kapoor as Tara Singh's Tayee
* Arjun Dwivedi as Pakistani jailor
* Ahsaan Khan as Abdul Ali
* Tony Mirchandani as Sarfaraz Ali
* Samar Jai Singh as Salim Ali
* Gyan Prakash as Wali Mohammed
* Vikrant Chaturvedi as Karim
* Rakesh Bedi as Vaid Kimtilal
* Vishwajeet Pradhan as Daroga Suleiman
* Ishrat Ali as Qazi of the Ali family
* Mithilesh Chaturvedi as Idris, Editor of Jung daily newspaper.
* B.N. Sharma as Iqbal, Officer of Pakistan Consulate in Delhi
* Pratima Kazmi as Greedy Woman
* Amita Khopkar as Bano
* Santosh Gupta as Chanta
* Abhay Bhargava as Indian Army Officer
* Shweta Shinde as Sakina's friend, girls Boarding Hostel
* Om Puri as the narrator
* Malavika Shivpuri as Tara Singh's sister #1
* Preeti Bhutani as Tara Singh's sister #2
* Gulshan Mazdiasni as the Opera singer at the Annual Function

## Production

Kajol was offered the role of Sakeena, but she turned it down as she did not feel the movie was her type of film. A part of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha was shot at Bishop Cotton School in Shimla and at other several locations in Shimla. A part of it was also shot in Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School at Dalhousie. Although the film was set in 1947, it features the music of "Que sera sera" which was first published in 1956.
The film was also shot in the city of Lucknow and Rudauli in Uttar Pradesh where the city was depicted as Lahore, Pakistan and parts were shot at La Martiniere Boys School, Lucknow. Some parts were shot at Irshad Manzil Palace in Rudauli. A significant part was shot in Pathankot, Sarna and Amritsar to depict the division-torn country.

## Soundtrack

The music of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha was composed by Uttam Singh. Lyrics of all the songs were written by Anand Bakshi. Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik supply vocals for Deol and Patel, respectively. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, the soundtrack sold approximately 2.5 million copies.

## Release and reception

Ruchi Sharma of Rediff wrote "Gadar - Ek Prem Katha comes close to being fantastic, even though it is overheated in bits. Not to miss, this". Taran Adarsh gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "On the whole, GADAR is worth the watch for its brilliant dramatic and confrontation sequences, splendid performances and touching moments that overpower the two flaws in the film ? the excessive length (the narrative needs to be trimmed by at least 15 minutes in the second half!) and a weak musical score".
DNAIndia called it one of the must-watch Bollywood films on the Partition of India.
The film faced protests, including incidents of arson and violence, at the time of its release particularly in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bhopal by some Muslim groups who were opposed to the depiction of an interfaith marriage between a Sikh man and Muslim woman as shown in the film. The films portrayal of partition violence was also alleged to be biased against Muslims. Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh was also petitioned by one of the groups to implement a ban in the state, though it did not materialize.
The film had also run into controversy an year earlier while filming at the Bara Imambara (a place for religious congregation) in Lucknow which was protested to by Shia Muslims, and the film had to be reshot at the nearby Rumi Gate.
Arif Masood, a local politician, was the leader of one of the protesting mobs in Bhopal which seriously injured a police constable. Reacting to the violence Deol said "What is sad about the protests is that they were started by cowards, but it is innocent people who are being hurt." Actress Shabana Azmi defended the film's right of exhibition stating, "The movie reinforces the canard that every Muslim is a Pakistani. It mixes issues of identity and nationalism, which should be handled sensitively. But it has been cleared by the Censor Board and has every right to be screened." Then Shiv Sena chief, Bal Thackeray, writing in Saamna too found 'nothing objectionable' in the film.

### Box office

Gadar: Ek Prem Katha collected ₹1.33 billion (US$15 million) in its initial theatrical run and its adjusted gross is ₹4.86 billion (US$56 million) as per 2017 ticket sales. The film was a stupendous success, and was declared an All-Time Blockbuster by Box Office India. Gadar: Ek Prem Katha ranks among the top 3 Indian films in all-time highest footfalls since 1990s. In the United Kingdom, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha grossed around £280,000.

### Re-release

An uncut and extended version remastered in 4K resolution and Dolby Atmos sound was given a limited theatrical re-release by Zee Studios on 9 June 2023.

## Awards
### Won

* Filmfare Special Performance Award - Ameesha Patel
* Filmfare Best Action Award - Tinnu Verma
* IIFA Best Dialogue Award - Shaktimaan Talwar
* Zee Cine Special Award for Outstanding Performance - Male - Sunny Deol
* Star Screen Award for Best Actor - Sunny Deol
* Star Screen Award for Best Action - Tinnu Verma
* Bollywood Movie Awards for Best Villain - Amrish Puri
* Sansui Best Actor Award - Sunny Deol
* Sansui Best Actress Award - Ameesha Patel
* Annual Filmgoers Awards - Best Actress - Ameesha Patel

### Nominated

* Filmfare Best Film Award - Anil Sharma
* Filmfare Best Director Award - Anil Sharma
* Filmfare Best Actor Award - Sunny Deol
* Filmfare Best Actress Award - Ameesha Patel
* Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Uttam Singh
* Filmfare Best Lyricist Award - Anand Bakshi
* Filmfare Best Male Playback Award - Udit Narayan
* Filmfare Best Villain Award - Amrish Puri
* IIFA Best Movie Award - Nitin Keni
* IIFA Best Director Award - Anil Sharma
* IIFA Best Story Award - Shaktimaan Talwar
* IIFA Best Actor Award - Sunny Deol
* IIFA Best Actress Award - Ameesha Patel
* IIFA Best Comic Actor - Vivek Shauq
* IIFA Best Villain Award - Amrish Puri
* IIFA Best Music Director Award - Uttam Singh
* IIFA Best Lyrics Award - Anand Bakshi
* IIFA Best Male Playback Singer Award - Udit Narayan
* Star Screen Best Film Award - Nitin Keni
* Star Screen Best Director Award - Anil Sharma
* Star Screen Awards for Jodi No. 1 - Sunny Deol ( shared with Ameesha Patel)
* Star Screen Best Actress Award - Ameesha Patel
* Star Screen Award for Best Art Direction - Sanjay Dhabade
* Star Screen Award for Best Screenplay - Shaktimaan Talwar
* Star Screen Award for Best Dialogue - Shaktimaan Talwar
* Star Screen Award for Best Music Director - Uttam Singh
* Star Screen Award for Best Playback Singer Male - Udit Narayan
* Star Screen Award for Best Lyrics - Anand Bakshi
* Zee Cine Award for Best Film - Nitin Keni
* Zee Cine Award for Best Director - Anil Sharma
* Zee Cine Award for Best Actor - Male - Sunny Deol
* Zee Cine Award for Best Actor - Female - Ameesha Patel
* Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role - Amrish Puri
* Zee Cine Award for Best Story - Shaktimaan Talwar
* Zee Cine Award for Best Lyricist - Anand Bakshi
* Bollywood Movie Awards for Best Actor - Sunny Deol
* Bollywood Movie Awards Critics Award for Best Actress - Ameesha Patel
* People's Choice Awards, India for Best Actor - Sunny Deol
* People's Choice Awards, India for Best Actress - Ameesha Patel

## Sequel

A sequel titled Gadar 2 was announced on 15 October 2021 with the release of a motion poster starring Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma in the lead roles. Anil Sharma has directed the sequel with Zee Studios producing the film. The film released on 11 August 2023.