Hyderabad: In the year 2001, Sunny Deol and Amrish Puri gave Hindi cinema one of its biggest blockbusters till date – ‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’. The film is getting a sequel after 22 years that will release in August 2023. But to create hype for the film, the makers are re-releasing the 2001 film in theatres on June 9. Amrish Puri’s grandson Vardhan Puri is emotional and excited about it as he will get to hear his grandfather’s voice once again on the big screen.
Talking about the re-release of ‘Gadar’, Vardhan says, “It’s an absolute joyous moment to know that ‘Gadar’ is re-releasing in theatres after 22 glorious years. It’s going to be something larger than life. Anil Sharma sir has re-mastered and reimagined the film in 4K and Dolby Atmos sound effect. That’s phenomenal. I cannot wait to watch the film in its renewed version with my family. It’s going to be overwhelming.”
Photo of Vardhan Puri with his grandfather Amrish Puri
Sharing his memory from the film’s premiere in 2001, the young actor revealed, “I still remember when we watched ‘Gadar’ at a special preview in Mumbai, we were all short of words. It had released with ‘Lagaan’, which was also a great film. But the hysteria that ‘Gadar’ had when it released was something special.”
Gadar depicted a romance between star-crossed lovers, set against the backdrop of the 1947 India-Pakistan Partition. The film received a lot of love not only in India, but across the border as well. Reflecting on that, Vardhan says, “My grandfather received so much love and appreciation, not only from India but from all over the world, especially Pakistan. Every time I watch the film, I cannot help but feel supremely patriotic. There is such a strong sense of motherhood and patriotism.”
Talking about his excitement to watch his grandfather on the big screen again, Vardhan says ecstatically, “I want to watch my Dadu on-screen once again as the powerful antagonist with a beating heart for his daughter. I can’t wait to hear his roaring voice in the theatres. When I watched ‘Gadar’ for the first time, I was a child, and for me at that point he was just my grandfather. Every time I saw the screen, I was only looking at him. This time it’s going to be very different and I am sure ‘Gadar 2’ is going to be very special.”