
Bracing criticism surrounding the film, 'Gadar 2', Bollywood actor Sunny Deol recently addressed accusations of the movie being anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim. Critics had labelled the movie as portraying negative sentiments against the neighbouring nation. Some also said it is spewing venom against Muslims. In response, Deol has clarified that his intention with the film is never to disparage anyone or any nation.
In a recent interview with BBC Asian Network, Sunny Deol was asked about the criticism that Gadar 2 is an "anti-Pakistan" film. He said that he does not believe the film is anti-Pakistan, and that he does not want people to take the film too seriously.
Deol said that Gadar 2 is a fictional film and that it is not intended to be a political statement. He said that the film is about love, loss, and sacrifice and that it is not about hatred or violence.
"See, it's basically a political thing mostly. It's not actually the people, genuine people, because at end of the day, it's all humanity there. Whether it's here or there (Pakistan), everyone's together. And even you'll see that throughout the film (Gadar 2), I never run anybody down, because I don't believe in running people down or anything and Tara Singh (his character in Gadar 2) is not that kind of a person," the actor said.
“But we need to look at cinema, it’s not trying to affect this side or that side. That’s not what we are. We are global, we are for everyone. It’s only when it’s read and spoken by a certain sectors of people, then that thoughts come in time. Majority don’t do that, it’s a handful of people. That’s when the wave comes,” he added.
Sunny Deol discussed his previous film Border, saying that everything they presented was shared by soldiers and was what they experienced during the battle. People take it in a different manner, he said, and it becomes personal.
The host also questioned the actor on the religious imagery surrounding the villain in Gadar 2, which could promote hatred in a climate where tensions between communities are already high. Sunny Deol responded, “Don’t take these films so seriously. There’s so much rubbish happening on digital and even news channels. Cinema comes for entertainment.”
“And then obviously, there's an exaggeration in cinema because that's how you want the characters to be. If they're not exaggerated, you don't enjoy it. Because if a person is bad, you want to say no, he is bad. If a person is good, you want to see the person good. And that's a certain sector of cinema," he added.
Anil Sharma directed Gadar 2, which stars Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel, and Utkarsh Sharma reprising their roles as Tara Singh, Sakeena, and Charanjeet Singh, respectively. The film follows Tara Singh as he crosses the border in an attempt to save his son, who is being held captive in Pakistan, in 1971. So now, it has grossed Rs 438.7 crore at the box office.
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