Film Review: Gadar 2 [Mutiny 2]

Starring: Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel, Utkarsh Sharma, Manish Wadhwa, Amrish Puri, Simrat Kaur, Nana Patekar, Rakesh Bedi

Director: Anil Sharma

“Indians all over the world are celebrating this film, I can’t tell you how beautiful it is,” said Sunny Deol as he danced to dhol beats into the London cinema hosting a special screening of ‘Gadar 2’ this week. And, he has reason to be ecstatic as the box-office takings of the film are on a record spree since its release earlier this month.

Deol reprises his 2001 ‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’ role of Tara Singh for this sequel set 17 years later, just as India is on the brink of war with Pakistan in 1971. Tara and wife Sakeena (Patel) are still just as devoted to each other and very much in love as they try and keep their itinerant teenage son Jeetey (Sharma) on track with his studies.

This idyllic setting of music, dance and family gatherings is rudely interrupted by the war mongering of the relatively new and unreliable neighbour Pakistan. Tara Singh’s reputation as a die-hard patriot always ready to jump into the deep end when his country is in need, is given a heads up by the Indian Army that his fleet of trucks may be required as back up on the frontline at short notice.

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As expected, Tara dives right into the firing action and goes missing in action along with a number of other Indian prisoners of war (POWs). Unable to tolerate his mother’s deep anguish over the separation from her beloved Tara, Jeetey is forced to grow up very quickly and decides to plunge himself deep into enemy territory. Here, he encounters the beguiling Muskaan (Kaur) and inadvertently uses his natural charm to get close to his mission of rescuing his dad from solitary confinement in a Pakistani prison.

Will Jeetey find what he is looking for or is he on a wild goose chase that will end up backfiring, requiring Tara Singh to once again step in to save the day?

Fans of the first outing of this patriotic saga will be in familiar territory, probably the main factor behind this sequel’s unstoppable run at the box-office. It’s definitely one for those interested in rekindling some Bollywood nostalgia, including for the kind of amplified screenplay that is of its time.

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The revival of some of the chart-toppers of the 2001 hit film also play out well on this nostalgic tour and, in Deol’s words, the familial bonds at the heart of this film make it a timeless tale for many.