Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, interacts with ‘Tara Singh’ aka Sunny Deol and ‘Sakeena’ aka Ameesha Patel

As Gadar 2.0 hits the theatres, Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Bharat24- Vision of New India and First India; CMD First India News, interacts with ‘Tara Singh’ aka Sunny Deol and ‘Sakeena’ aka Ameesha Patel regarding their upcoming movie and their hopes around it. The duo share their memories from the original Gadar movie and throw light on the sequel. Excerpts...

I am a Desi Banda who contributes towards the nation through his acting: Sunny Deol

Post Gadar, I received calls from elderly women who even named their grand daughters Sakeena: Ameesha Patel

• How did you feel when twenty two years back your movie was released and went on to become a super hit?
  Sunny: It felt really good. You know politics happens in every industry and that movie was not favoured much by the internal people in the industry. The critics too did not give it any credence and they even called it garbage, but the people loved it so much that they turned all the critics and their review of the movie into garbage.

• Now your movie is being released and on the other hand, Akshay Kumar and Rajnikanth’s movies are also being released. What effect will that have?
  Sunny: See it is a wide playing field now and two movies can be run in adjacent screens. Moreover, if people like a movie then they carry it forward.

• Do you think this movie will do better than the previous Gadar at box office?
  Sunny: We did not know what would happen to that movie also. You can not predict what will happen, but you can work with honesty and dedication and do not leave any stone unturned. Thereafter, what the movie will have to do, it will.

• What is the basic concept of this movie?
  Sunny: Basic concept of the film was taken from Gadar 1.0, it is an extension of that movie. First Gadar was set during the time of partition and four or five years after partition. That was the period wherein the story was set. Now, we have taken the story from 1971, so the same family has grown and how things have changed further. And during that time we all know there was immense rift between the neighbours and how that plays into the situation.

• And what about basic differences?
  Sunny: It was a young Tara Singh and Sakeena then where I woo her as a truck driver. Can’t even imagine a truck driver wooing a princess. Then the partition happens & the changes and situations that happen. Then the woman comes into his life and the man changes. Then there is love towards the family & he destroys the world because the family is his world.

• In one sentence, what is there in the movie that I would purchase a ticket and watch the movie?
  Ameesha: Magic, I would say there is magic. There is soul, tradition, culture, which is immensely missing in movies these days. People look for stories and they do not find them because people have stopped working hard on stories. These days projects are made, corporate have entered so there is free flow of money, so they make a film taking a famous actor etc. In earlier times, writers and directors would work had on script and if the dates of an actor were not available, then they would wait for the actor, because visually they knew that this particular actor can play this role and when you cast well, half your battle is won. But these days, only projects are being made. The previous ‘Gadar’ wasn’t a project & ‘Gadar 2.0’ is also not a project. There is a race that sequels are made just for the name of it and Friday-Saturday collection is targeted thinking it is a sequel and the movie can ride on the previous movie’s success. If ‘Gadar’ wanted this, it could have been done long back, but there was a pause because an apt story that justifies coming back as a sequel could not be found for 22 years and I think that is the beauty of ‘Gadar.’

• There has not been any change in Gadar’s value system in these twenty two years?
  Ameesha: No. Gadar 2 retains all the value system that were in previous ‘Gadar’ because these are human value systems which should not change and do not change.
  Sunny: Tara Singh and his family would stay the same, how can they change?

• If it comes to human value, then they (Deols) are the pioneers of human values in Mumbai.
  Ameesha: Absolutely. They say that titles of people change over time, every Friday in our industry, but respect does not and an actor like Sunny ji who could have been too arrogant or egoist, who is a superstar’s son but he is so humble. I think the lesson of humility we all have learnt from Dharam ji (Dharmendra). He is so iconic that you can compare him to any Hollywood star. He is an handsome man that ever existed, at least I think so and I know the generation believes so. And when Sunny ji entered through ‘Betaab’ that movie became an instant hit so he had all the reasons to be arrogant. Today, you can see that some may not get even a half-hit and they would go berserk, but for someone like him, who is there and yet is humble and has struck to his core values. Like I said he commands respect, he does not demand it.

• The chemistry is still the same as twenty-two years back?
  Ameesha: Magical still. And when our songs were released so people told me that the chemistry of Tara and Sakeena is as it is magical. I feel that both of us do not have to try. We are very comfortable.

• What about Tara Singh’s reflection in this movie?
  Sunny: It is the same. In the movie we were in Pathankot then and in this movie too. He was a truck driver then, but now, he has more trucks under him.

• Do you think this movie will be super hit in Pakistan too?
  Sunny: I haven’t really thought which areas I am super hit in. Whenever my movies were released, they would be showcased to public and I would be working on other movies. The situation these days is such that you have to market the movie as well, which wasn’t there earlier and the situation was good. But now what happens is that people face anxiety, earlier we never used to care about such issues or anxiety because we knew that we are working and that we have to do our work and rest would do theirs’. Once we will complete this, we will do other films. And whenever my movies have been released, I have never been in Mumbai, I would be abroad shooting.

• Do you feel the people of India and Pakistan have love for each other? And how will the movie promote it?
  Sunny: Yes there is immense love and the movie will also show that. But I don’t want to delve into that too much. See, no nation wants to hate any other nation and general public loves each other.
  Ameesha: I would add to this point that I received so many phone calls from women and they said that Sakeena made us cry so much that we have named our granddaughters ‘Sakeena.’ So, this level of love is there and what more can a Hindi movie ask for? You can see the love between both the countries. I was studying in Boston and my best friend was from Pakistan and it was a surprise for me that he was the grandson of poet Iqbal and he used to always tell me in the University that Ameesha just imagine that my grandfather had written ‘Saare Jahan Se Accha Hindustan Hamara’ and today we are separate nations. So these are the sentiments that the people hold.

• I do not want to ask any political question. But as the citizen of this country, what is your take on Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of this country?
  Sunny: He has done a great job and he is still doing a great job. Obviously, anyone who is doing something will always have lot of people, who will follow him and a lot of people, who will hate them. That is the way life has always been. I mean he has done so much for the country and so many avenues have opened up. It has been very progressive and I am sure it will go on like that.

• You hail from Gujarat, would you like to add to that?
  Ameesha: Well, I hail from one of the most financially strong states and he was of course the CM of that State, but they say, ‘Heavy is the head that wears the crown,’ so obviously, with good comes the brickbats. But if you see the global economy, India is the only one that is not in recession and I think that speaks volume in itself. Everywhere there is recession and we are racing ahead , hence, obviously there is something that our PM has done superbly right that we are in a commanding position.

• How do you balance your political life and movie life?
  Sunny: I got into politics but I am not a politician. I am like how papa was. Assi Desi Bande Hain, everyone loves us and I am not divided between anything or anyone. So I am a believer of that and I feel that I contribute to my country, to youngsters and everyone out there as an actor and that is why, they have loved me and the entire Deol family for so many years. So, I think my major contribution is to keep on doing stuff that moves in the right direction.

During the show #JCOnGadar2 trended top All-India on Twitter