12 August,2023 07:57 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Salman Khan and Sunny Deol
Sunny Deol's 'Gadar 2' hit the theatres on Friday and brought in a wave of nostalgia. The film saw an impressive advance booking with the national chains selling out nearly three lakh tickets before release day. The film is a sequel to the 2001 blockbuster 'Gadar 2'.
Salman Khan on Friday night took to his Instagram handle to congratulate the team of 'Gadar 2' on the successful opening of the film. The film is expected to see an opening of Rs 40 crore on day 1. Giving a hint of the same, Salman Khan shared the poster of 'Gadar 2' featuring Sunny Deol and wrote, "Dhai kilo ka haath equals chalis cr ki opening. Sunny paaji is killing it. Congrats to the entire team of Gadar 2."
Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar's 'OMG 2' also hit the theatres on the same day. While the film stood miles behind 'Gadar 2' at the box office, the positive word of mouth and great critical reviews is expected to take the film forward at the box office.
Even before the release of the film, trade experts had predicted that 'Gadar 2' will see an opening of over Rs 25 crore. Talking to Mid-day, director Anil Sharma said he isn't surprised. "From the day I conceived the plot of Gadar 2, I knew it would do well. Gadar is an emotion that 100 crore Indians have loved, but our film industry never understood that. Many criticised Gadar [after its release]," he recalls.
Taking the story of Deol's Tara Singh and Patel's Sakina forward, Gadar 2 shows how the protagonist heads to Pakistan to free his captive son, essayed by Utkarsh Sharma. A section of the industry, going by the trailer, feels that the sequel doesn't have a powerful story. "When lakhs have appreciated the trailer, the opinions of some don't make a difference to me. When Gadar released, one review called it âGutter: Ek Prem Katha.' But the audience is the only thing that matters," shares the director. 'Gadar 2' takes the story forward from where they had left the story in 2001. The film took a historic start at the box office on Friday.
