“Your Pakistan is alive, we have no objection in this. But our Hindustan was alive, Zindabad is and will be alive. Isn’t he a staunch Muslim?”When the film Ghadar was released in 2001, there was a lot of applause on this dialogue of Sunny Deol in the theater.This scene in the film is from a few years after 1947 when India is divided into two pieces.
There is hatred on both sides of the border. In this scene, a Hindustani Sunny Deol (Tara Singh) comes to Pakistan in search of his Pakistani wife Ameesha Patel (Sakina) where the condition in front of him is that if Tara Singh wants his wife, then she will have to leave her religion and homeland.
While Ghadar is one of the biggest hit films of his era, many people had also accused him of being anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim.
- 26 जुलाई 2023
Anti National or Nationalist?
Now when part 2 of ‘Ghadar’ is releasing, the question comes in mind that when Tara Singh raises the slogan of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’, would he be called anti-national in today’s environment? Or when Sunny Deol refuses to tolerate a single word against India, would he be called a nationalist?
Senior film critic Ramachandran Srinivasan says, “Today someone saying ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ in his film will definitely be called anti-national, especially if a dialogue is taken out of context.”
Ira Bhaskar is Professor of Cinema Studies at JNU. She says, “In today’s date, if there is a dialogue of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ in the film, then it will be called anti-national. But it all depends on how you have made the film.”
“Take ‘Pathan’ only where heroine is shown by linking with ISI and Pakistan which is against violence.”
“This film became a hit. If you want to give a message, many ways can be found out of it. The dialogues in ‘Gadar’ will not accept it today.”
There is a gap of 22 years between ‘Gadar 1’ and ‘Gadar 2’. How much has India changed in these 22 years, how much cinema has changed?
What is the scope of creative discounts taken in cinema and cinema? When the film ‘Gadar’ was released in 2001, there was violence in cities like Bhopal, Ahmedabad over some scenes in the film.
At that time, in a conversation with the BBC, Shabana Azmi had said, “This film confuses nationalism, religion and identity issues and is unsuccessful to show the complexity of the pain of partition. This film is provoking Muslims. Presents like alien.”
Both Ira Bhaskar and Ramachandran Srinivasan have different opinions on this.
Ramachandran Srinivasan says, “I do not completely agree with this. The political atmosphere at the time of partition, what was the dire situation, the feelings of the people, the same writer Shaktimaan showed the same in the film ‘Gadar’.”
“The way in which the partition took place, Pakistan was considered as Islamic country and Hindustan as a Hindu country. There was a period of hatred between India and Pakistan. Shown.”
How did Yash Chopra show partition
Ira Bhaskar says, “An attempt has been made to do a balancing act in the film ‘Ghadar’, it is more humane in the first half but there are many problems in the second half. Pakistan has been shown in a negative way, it seems like all the violence It was started by the Muslim community. In the end it becomes jingoistic. ‘Ghadar’ is not like ‘Veer Zara’. ‘Veer Zara’ beautifully portrays a love story related to India and Pakistan.”
“दरअसल यश चोपड़ा ने भारत-पाकिस्तान और धर्म को लेकर कई संवेदनशील फ़िल्में बनाई हैं. ‘धूल का फूल’ और ‘धर्मपुत्र’.”
(Dharmaputra featured the story of a Hindu youth who, before partition, worked with those who wanted Muslims to leave India, later it was revealed that the real mother of this child, who grew up in a Hindu family, Father is Muslim.)
“The Censor Board was skeptical about the film Dharmaputra. When BR Chopra and Yash Chopra showed this film to Pandit Nehru, he said that it should be shown in every college. In today’s government, this does not happen.”
Aamna Haider runs a YouTube channel named Something Hotte in Pakistan and monitors cinema.
He says, “Due to political polarization, it has become difficult for filmmakers in both the countries to make films on the Indo-Pak theme. It is difficult to take each other’s character in a film, and even if taken, distrust and doubt.” An atmosphere is created.
However, it is great to see how Pakistani dramas get so much love in India or films like Kamli and Joyland are being appreciated. Similarly, there is a lot of craze for Bollywood in Pakistan and right now Ranveer Singh’s fans are busy trying to see the love story of Rocky and Rani. (Hindi films are not showing in Pakistan right now.)”
‘Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims are walking dead bodies…’
If we talk about ‘Ghadar’, where it is criticized, but in many places this film is also seen telling the pain of every person who is suffering from violence, whose life got destroyed due to partition.
For example, at the time of partition, Sakina (Ameesha) is unable to board the train to Lahore with her family and some people attack her. But Tara Singh (Sunny) present in the crowd of rioters freezes on seeing Sakina.
Later, trying to commit suicide, Sakina asks Sunny Deol that you too were killing Muslims, so why did you leave me?
While Sunny (Tara Singh) is seen roaring, roaring, uprooting handpumps and uttering paisa-vasool lines, Sakina’s question makes Tara Singh think.
He says, “The story of this (Partition) is not just yours and mine. It is of thousands of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims who are walking dead bodies. They have no pulse, no will to live.”
He is also struggling with the grief of the murder of his Sikh family in the riots.
Ameesha and Sunny’s confrontation
Shakina (Ameesha Patel) is probably the only character in this film that swings between two types of narratives, who has the courage to question the violence happening in the name of religion.
She asks, “someone wants India and some Pakistan, humans don’t need humans at all. Political people create differences and people have to bear the consequences. We will never tolerate this.”
In the midst of religious frenzy and insanity, the character of a mad person Wali in the film ‘Ghadar’ is also remembered here. Wali becomes a citizen of Pakistan after partition but mentally he is still in Gandhi’s India.
That’s why when there is a procession with music playing near the Lahore airport, he says, “Is Nehru ji coming? British go back. This is a country, not a piece of land that will ever be divided?”
‘Gadar’ came after Kargil war
This character of Wali is reminiscent of Manto’s story Bishan Singh, the story of Toba Tek Singh.
If you are not aware, then after partition, Bishan Singh is ordered to be sent from the asylum of Lahore to the Indian asylum, but he refuses to believe that now his town Toba Tek Singh is in Pakistan and he is sent to a new country India. going.
People also consider Ghadar’s Wali crazy, but in the group of sensible people, there is probably the one who talks about logic.
Opinions are divided about the film even today, but it cannot be denied that it had broken many records of earning during that period.
In such an environment, when ‘Ghadar’ came, the audience of those who saw an Indian taking the most competition across the border was already ready.
‘ग़दर’ की सफलता का राज़
Despite the flaws, ‘Gadar-1’ was openly accepted by the people.
Ira Bhaskar says, “There are many reasons for the tremendous success of the film. ‘Gadar’ is the story of partition and a very sweet love story was shown in it. In the midst of violence and hatred of people of two different religions, amidst violence and hatred. The love story emerged very strongly. Like many Partition films, it was not tragic, it was a happy ending film. It also benefited the film that ‘Gadar’ had a nationalistic message where India is shown dominating Pakistan – all these The reasons helped make the film a hit.”
Two and a half kilos-handed Sunny Deol’s hand pump was uprooted, watching alone facing the Pakistani army and the tadka of love story and extreme nationalism in it, all this made ‘Gadar’ successful. Music did the work of connecting the rest.
The songs of Anand Bakshi and the music of Uttam Singh became the reason for the film becoming more hit.
When MP Sunny said that after all, then everything is from this soil.
On the dialogues of the film, there was a lot of whistles and applause in the theater. For example, when Tara Singh’s partner Darmayan Singh goes to Pakistan and taunts (conscience hobby) that a son is a son and a father is a father.
Although Darmayan Singh is in a side role, but this name in a way reflects the real spirit of the film ‘Ghadar’ – the story of people trapped in the gap between two countries.
The question was the same in the beginning that how would be today’s Tara Singh – the one who can do anything for the country’s respect, the one who commits murder in religious violence, the one who talks about both India and Pakistan, even to leave his religion for love Will you also agree? Or somewhere in between all of these.
Before the release of ‘Ghadar-2’, Tara Singh i.e. actor and BJP MP Sunny Deol’s latest statement is to be believed, “It is all about humanity. There is love on both sides of the border. It is a political game that creates hatred.” The public does not want people to quarrel or fight with each other. After all, everyone is from this soil.”