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Gadar
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'Gadar'

By N K Deoshi
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Love in the time of Partition is the theme of Anil Sharma-directed “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha”. The film, produced by Nitin Keni (of Zee Films), flips back the dark pages of our history (partition) and, against its backdrop, delineates the story of two lovers and their struggle to stay together.

Apart from Sunny Deol and Amisha Patel, who play the hapless lovers, the film boasts of a host of actors like Amrish Puri, Lilette Dubey, Vivek Shauq, Ahsaan Khan and Rakesh Bedi in other important roles.

The

film revolves round the story of a Sikh truck driver Tara Singh (Sunny), who dares to love a high society Muslim girl Sakina (Amisha).

Sakina and her family are forced to migrate to Pakistan when tension rises between Hindus and Muslims. But on the way she is separated from her family. Stranded, Sakina seeks refuge with Tara Singh, who takes her as his wife when Hindu mobsters attempt to kill her because she happens to be a Muslim. Tara Singh always steps in as her savior in adversity.

Not sure about the fate her parents met with, Sakina accepts her destiny and begins life afresh with her husband Tara Singh in India and gives birth to a son. Things are hunky dory until one day Sakina discovers that her family is alive in Lahore. As blood is always thicker than water, Sakina goes all the way to visit her family in Pakistan.

That’s when things take an unexpected turn. Sakina’s father (Amrish Puri) is a cunning politician, who swears by the blood of Indians. He is unwilling to accept an Indian, and that too, a Sikh as his son-in-law. On the advice of a local Qazi, he even contemplates marrying her off to a Muslim lad. All of Sakina’s pleas to be reunited with her husband fall on deaf ears.

Now begins the great Indian story as Tara Singh sets out to bring back his ladylove from across the border. Troubles lies ahead but Tara Singh is determined to have his way.

Made at a whopping budget of 20 crore “Gadar” covers the time span from 1947 to 1958. Anil Sharma has brought authenticity to his subject by shooting at the actual locations in Amritsar, Bikaner, and some places in UP. A record 25,000 extras were hired from local villages to shoot scenes showing the mass exodus.

As the truck driver Tara Singh Sunny Deol gives another consummate performance that deserves to be lauded. He looks impressive singing the song “Main Ik Dil”. The only thing he overdoes at times is hollering his lungs out.

Amisha has also acquitted herself well. Her character Sakina covers a whole gamut of emotions -- from a vulnerable young girl to a prodigal lover and a doting mother in the end. And Amisha enacts these emotions with the ease of a veteran.

In a nutshell, “Gadar” is a film with a patriotic theme woven around a touching love story. Uttam Singh’s music and Anand Bakshi’s lyrics have an earthy feel that gels well with the film’s theme. Only violence has been overdone in the second half, which is replete with bomb blasts and pyrotechnics.

Rating: Worth seeing once.

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