Twenty-five years after Tara Singh drove his truck into the hearts of millions, Sunny Deol took to Instagram on June 15 to celebrate the silver jubilee of ‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’. His message was simple and straight from the heart.
“25 Years Ago Gadar and Tara Singh conquered your hearts. 25 saal se pyaar ke rishte ki gaddi chall rahi aur aage bhi chalti hi rahegi. Thank you all for giving all of us 25 years of abundant love and making us stay in your hearts, hope we keep staying there,” Deol wrote.
He also shared several stills from the blockbuster, taking audiences back to the early 2000s.
Also Read: 25 years of ‘Gadar’: A song-by-song look at the soundtrack that outlasted the film
What Tara Singh gave Sunny Deol
Beyond box office numbers, the role had a deeper meaning for the actor. Sunny Deol told IANS that Tara Singh gave him a bond with audiences that has only grown stronger with time. He said that twenty-five years later, the love for ‘Gadar’ feels just as powerful, and called it the greatest reward any actor can ask for.
The film and its story
‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’ was directed by Anil Sharma and starred Sunny Deol alongside Ameesha Patel and the late Amrish Puri. The film is set in 1947 during the Partition of India. It tells the story of Tara Singh, a Sikh truck driver, who falls in love with Sakina, a Muslim girl from an aristocratic family. During the Hindu-Muslim riots following Partition, their lives are torn apart. Sakina’s father later forces her to stay in Pakistan, separating her from her family.
The film ran for 184 minutes and was produced under the banner of Zee Studios. The soundtrack was composed by Uttam Singh, with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. Songs like ‘Udja Kale Kawan’ and ‘Main Nikla Gaddi Leke’ became part of its enduring legacy.
Box office records that still stand
‘Gadar’ grossed over Rs 133 crore worldwide and became the highest-grossing Hindi film of its time, surpassing the record previously held by ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’ (1994). It recorded over 50 million footfalls in India, making it the second most-watched Indian film since the 1980s, after ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’ (2017). The film was made on a budget of Rs 19 crore.
According to Box Office India, its adjusted domestic gross as of 2017 stood at Rs 4.86 billion.
What the team said
Ameesha Patel said that Sakina will always be one of the most cherished parts of her life. She called it deeply emotional to see audiences still celebrating the film and the character after twenty-five years.
Director Anil Sharma said the film was made with conviction, emotion, and faith in storytelling, and that the audience turned it into something far bigger than a film. He said twenty-five years later, that love continues to humble all of them.
Special telecast and sequel
A special telecast of the film aired on June 15 on Zee Cinema and Zee Bollywood. The film is currently available to stream as a premium title on ZEE5, which also hosts the 2023 sequel ‘Gadar 2’.
‘Gadar 2’ was theatrically released on August 11, 2023, and also received a positive response from audiences. The sequel once again brought together Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel, with Utkarsh Sharma in the cast.
Tara Singh’s gaddi, it seems, shows no signs of stopping.