Gadar director Anil Sharma reveals that he once signed Dilip Kumar to play the lead in his film based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits.
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00:00 How did the idea of Gaddar come to you? You had given me one story about it.
00:07 I had a strong desire to make a period film. I wanted to create something as a director.
00:12 There were many stories in the making. We were making a project called Kashmir.
00:17 It was a very good script. We had talked to Dilip sir and Dharam ji.
00:25 Dilip sir had agreed. We used to listen to the scenes every day.
00:29 I was so busy with my life that I could not work with them.
00:34 One day I told my writer, Shaktimaan sir that I wanted a sub-plot in the second half.
00:38 I wanted a love story between a Kashmir boy and a Kashmir girl.
00:42 Shakti ji told me a real life story. I started walking after hearing the idea.
00:48 I told him that Shakti ji will make this film.
00:51 He said that he had spoken to all the actors and had narrated the story.
00:56 He said that he would apologize to them.
00:58 But now I cannot make another story other than this one.
01:03 So the sub-plot became your main plot.
01:05 Yes, it became my main plot. I said that this film is not enough.
01:08 The story of Kashmir is still relevant.
01:10 The story of Pandits' Escalation is still relevant.
01:15 I wanted to make it. I had already made the star cast.
01:20 But as a director, I wanted to make the sub-plot.
01:28 I apologized to all the actors.
01:32 I wanted to make a story that would make me feel good.
01:34 So you could never work with Dilip Kumar.
01:37 I could not work with him. I regret that.
01:40 Tell me why did it take 22 years to make Gaddar 2?
01:45 I did not want to use the name Gaddar.
01:48 People make it as Gaddar Part 2.
01:50 I wanted to make a story of Tara, Sakina and Jeeta's family.
01:58 I was not able to understand the story.
02:01 I made many stories.
02:03 Many people told me many stories.
02:06 Then it happened.
02:08 22 years passed. One day we were doing puja.
02:11 Navratri Puja.
02:13 Shaktimaan ji came and told me that he had an idea.
02:18 I finished the puja and I gave the story to Kanya and Langra.
02:25 Then we went inside.
02:27 He told me an idea.
02:30 I started moving like Gaddar.
02:33 That time you were working on something else.
02:37 I was starting something else.
02:41 I told the story to the assistant, the director and Sunny sir.
02:48 As soon as I told the story, everything was okay.
02:51 You know, in Gaddar 1, you had Sunny Deol, Shaktimaan as your writer,
02:58 you had Udkish, Amisha, and you had the same cinematographer.
03:04 You were missing Amrish Puri.
03:08 He was such a big part of Gaddar.
03:10 I was missing Anand Bakshi, Vivek Shauk, and some people who I wish were there.
03:19 Who have you got as your antagonist this time instead of Amrish Puri?
03:23 Manish Badwa is a very good actor.
03:27 He did Chanak and many other things.
03:31 But he is a good actor, a very good actor.
03:33 Tell me, what is it about Gaddar 1 that worked in such a big way at that time?
03:38 Did you have any commitment with him at that time?
03:40 Yes.
03:42 In both films, it had done well.
03:44 In Gaddar 1, the emotion, the love story, the message, and the connectivity with the people was so much.
03:55 People thought that it was their film.
03:58 But what happened was that Gaddar was a big blockbuster at that time.
04:01 But people did not appreciate Gaddar.
04:03 They did not appreciate it.
04:05 Okay, this happened with Mughal-e-Azam also.
04:08 They did not appreciate it and did not get any award.
04:10 This happened with Sholay, this happened with Gaddar.
04:13 This is a good thing.
04:15 So, the public appreciated it a lot.
04:17 Now, the public who appreciated it so much,
04:21 at that time, the industry said that Gaddar is a blockbuster.
04:24 And such reviews came.
04:26 Really?
04:28 The first review of Gaddar came to me,
04:30 that Gaddar was a blockbuster.
04:33 Oh my God!
04:35 And after that, another review came,
04:37 that of another big English newspaper,
04:39 that this film is not worthy of being reviewed.
04:41 My God!
04:43 Such people wrote.
04:45 Why did they write? I still do not understand.
04:47 [Music]
04:57 And the two or three journalists who wrote all this,
05:01 they did not come in front of me in 22 years.
05:04 I look for them everywhere, I see them.
05:07 Ask me with love, brother, what was in your mind?
05:10 Why was it like this?
05:12 Gaddar was the emotion of the public.
05:15 And if I say undercurrent, then it had the story of Ramayan.
05:19 Ram says that Sita has to be brought from Lanka.
05:23 The mother of the son has to be brought.
05:25 But it was the same story.
05:27 Lanka could have been Pakistani in today's context.
05:29 It was the same story and nothing else.
05:31 And that is why it connected so much with people.
05:35 [Music]