Gadar “The Rebellion”: Part 2 (2023) — The Return Of “HINDUSTAN ZINDABAAD!”

The Lion prowls once again, not in the jungles, but in Pakistan! After 22 years, the rebellion returns to the Bollywood big screens with “Gadar 2: The Katha Continues”. The Gadar film series is a brand in India and I am here to review the sequel to the 2001 mega-blockbuster which was released on August 11, 2023. Written by Shaktimaan Talwar, and produced and directed by Anil Sharma, Gadar 2 stars “The Star With 2.5 Kg Biceps”, Sunny Deol as the legendary Tara Singh.

Gadar 2 (2023): Starring Sunny Deol As Tara Singh!

Watch Gadar 2 to witness the rampage of Tara Singh in Pakistan once again, this time, not for his wife, but for his son!

Click here to check out my narration of the epic periodic action-drama Gadar (2001): Ek Prem Katha!

Gadar 2 (2023) Official Trailer:

The Good:

Tara Singh needs no introduction! If you don’t know who the legendary Tara Singh is, then you cannot be addressed as a Bollywood fan! Sunny Deol, the He-Man of Bollywood, who has been known to beat up the scariest and the deadliest villains in his action movies, brings the character of Tara Singh back to life in Gadar 2! Sunny Deol has aged a lot and is now 66 years old. But still, he has managed to live up to the vigor and valor of the character of Tara Singh at this age.

The amusing fact is that Utkarsh Sharma who was in Gadar (2001), then a kid and now all grown up, was supposed to be the hero in Gadar 2. But who can have the personality or power to overshadow Sunny Deol? In every movie of Sunny Deol, he comes like a roaring lion with his violent dialogue delivery and demolishes every villain with blows of his massive fists. He did the same in Gadar 2.

Manish Wadhwa plays the lead antagonist in this Gadar sequel. His character of Pakistani Major General Hamid Iqbal was intriguing as well as intimidating. I truly missed the late veteran actor Amrish Puri who was the lead antagonist in Gadar (2001). Honestly, there cannot be a villain ever who can match up to his legacy. Ameesha Patel, who was the lead actress in Gadar (2001), convincingly reprised her role as Tara Singh’s wife Sakeena.

The action choreography, cinematography, and visual effects in Gadar 2 are outstanding and even surpass that of the 2001 prequel. In Gadar 2, you will witness Tara Singh overturning trucks with his bare hands, breaking down massive poles, and of course, sending villains hurtling and flying in the air. In short, the 2-hour and 50-minute screenplay is laden with action and thrills. However, no one can forget the “hand pump” scene of Gadar (2001) where Tara Singh uprooted a massive hand pump and demolished the masses in Pakistan with it.

I liked the songs in this sequel, especially the ones like “Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava” and “Main Nikla Gaddi Leke” which brought back the memories of the unforgettable Gadar (2001), the most violent and thrilling romantic action movie of all time!

The Bad:

The plots of Gadar (2001) and Gadar 2 (2023) are more or less similar. The story of Gadar (2001) is set in the year 1947, during the partition of India whereas the story of Gadar 2 (2023) is set in the year 1971, during India’s war with Pakistan. In Gadar (2001), Tara Singh goes to Pakistan to save his wife, and the same story gets repeated in the sequel, where Tara Singh is again in Pakistan, this time to save his grown-up son, who has fallen in love with a Pakistani girl, just like him. So, it’s the same familiar story, only remastered with a new level of action choreography.

The Verdict:

Gadar 2 is a sure-shot blockbuster and its earnings are causing Tsunamis at the Box-Office collections. It is not a very high-budget movie, like many Bollywood and South Indian movies which have crossed INR 500 Crores, but its profits are sure to reach sky-high!

It’s obvious, a movie like Gadar 2, and all Anti-Pakistani Bollywood movies are banned in Pakistan. Who can tolerate his or her own defamation? I bet neither you nor I. So, doesn’t Pakistan. The fact is that the release of Gadar 2 set up an outrage amongst Pakistanis where massive posters of Sunny Deol were burned by them. You may not be aware that Sunny Deol has been banned forever from traveling to Pakistan after the release of Gadar 2. Pakistanis have been considering Sunny Deol as their threat for decades.

Overall, the Gadar film series is a mass entertainer, one such movie that is close to my heart and the hearts of every Indian citizen. As for my personal opinion, I would say that it doesn’t matter if you watch this movie or not! You may burn posters of Sunny Deol or any other Indian, shower your rage upon Indians, and try to demean them. But, before you mess with an Indian, always remember what Tara Singh (Sunny Deol) said to Ashraf Ali (Amrish Puri) in Gadar (2001), “Aapka Pakistan Zindabaad Hain, Isse Humhe Koi Aitraaz Nahi. Lekin Humaara Hindustan Zindaabaad Tha, Zindabaad Hain, Aur Zindabaad Rahega!” which means, “We take no offense if you chant that Pakistan is victorious. But talking about India; India was victorious, is victorious, and will be victorious forever!”