Actor Sunny Deol isn’t bothered by box office clash, it is the perception of facts that hurts him the most. The actor is currently gearing up for his latest, Gadar 2, which will hit cinema halls on August 11 and have a box office face off with Akshay Kumar’s OMG 2.
But Deol isn’t new to clashes. Back in 2001, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha had released on the same Friday as Aamir Khan’s globally acclaimed Lagaan. While the Ashutosh Gowariker period sports film garnered appreciation, became a hit and even landed a historic Oscar nomination, Gadar was a box office juggernaut, with record breaking collections and footfalls.
In an interview with ETimes, Deol opened up about the clash and said he doesn’t understand why people compare the two films, as his Gadar had grossed more than Rs 100 cr while Lagaan did “much lesser”. The comparison, Deol says, happens from business as well as likeability point of view.
Deol said right from the start, Gadar–costarring Ameesha Patel and directed by Anil Sharma– had the perception against it. He said people thought it was a dated masala film whereas Lagaan was instantly dubbed as a classic. “The so-called people who talk about films had run down Gadar completely,” he added.
What made Gadar different, Deol noted, was that it went on to become people’s film as the audience loved it. The actor recalled how Gadar had to fight perception battle at evert stage, including award functions, where the film was spoofed, but he wasn’t perturbed. Deol said box office clash had happened with some of his other films too, including Ghayal and Aamir Khan’s Dil, both 1990 releases.
The actor said his point is simple, that even when a film is “better”, people try to compare it with other movies. Something that’s unmatchable, Deol said, shouldn’t be compared with other stuff.
Gadar: Ek Prem Katha followed the story of Tara Singh (Deol), a Sikh who falls in love with a Pakistani Muslim girl, Sakina (Ameesha Patel). For the sequel, both Deol and Patel will reprise their roles. The film will clash with Akshay Kumar’s OMG 2, whoch also stars Pankaj Tripathi.
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