Exclusive! Anil Sharma On Gadar 2 Beating Pathaan At The Box Office, "There Should Not Be Any Competition"

Earlier this year, Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan was released and it broke many records at the box office. The film collected Rs. 524.53 crore (Hindi) at the box office and it became the highest-grossing Bollywood movie. In August, Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel starrer Gadar 2 was released, and the movie took a bumper opening at the box office; everyone was keen to know whether it would break the record of Pathaan or not.

Recently, Gadar 2 finally crossed the lifetime collection of Pathaan and collected Rs. 525 crore at the box office, and became the highest-grossing Bollywood movie. However, Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan was quick to break that record and it has till now collected Rs. 530.40 crore.

Filmibeat recently interacted with the director of Gadar 2, Anil Sharma, and spoke to him about his film breaking records at the box office, Gadar 3, and more...

Your film Gadar 2 has become one of the highest-grossing films of Bollywood. How do you feel about it?

I feel the same as everyone in the country feels. Everyone in India is loving this moment. When you make a film with hard work and the audience likes it, what else does a filmmaker want? So, I am feeling very good, and it has given me the energy to be better in the future.

Did you expect such a great box office response?

Now, if I say yes then everyone will say I am saying this because the film has become a hit. But, yes, of course, I knew that when Tara Singh, Sakina, and Jeete will come again, there will be a gadar at the box office. So yes, I had thought and expected this, but Gadar 2 took a long time because I knew that till the time I get a script that can actually create a gadar, I won't make a sequel.

From the day Gadar 2 was released and took a bumper opening, everyone was comparing it with Pathaan. People on social media were talking about whether it would be able to beat that film. Now, as Gadar 2 has surpassed the box office collection of Pathaan, what would you like to say about it?

I don't pay attention to all these things, it is not important to me. Pathaan was also a very good film. What they felt was best they made it and what we felt was the best we made it. There should not be any competition, all films should work. I don't think about all these things like we have gone ahead of this film and we are behind this one. So, I don't think much about it and don't read about it on social media. Fans write these things on social media, so that's their love and I thank them for that.

People felt that maybe they wanted to see more of Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel, and they should have had more screen time. What do you have to say about it?

I don't know who wanted more screen time. According to the script, everyone got the screen time. Sakina is a very dear character to me, and I wanted it to move forward, but I couldn't send Sakina to Pakistan. This film was like a story of Arjun and Abhimanyu, and accordingly, people got the screen time. People also liked Sakina and they told me they liked whatever role she had.

Everyone is now waiting for Gadar 3. So, are you planning something?

Things are going on. We are working on the story, and as soon as it's ready, we will get Gadar 3.

Apart from Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel, Gadar 2 also starred Utkarsh Sharma and Simrat Kaur.