When
you
hear
Gadar:
Ek
Prem
Katha,
the
first
thing
that
comes
to
your
mind
is
the
scene
where
Sunny
Deol's
Tara
Singh
uproots
a
hand
pump
during
a
face-off
with
Amrish
Puri's
character.
Over
the
years,
that
scene
has
developed
a
cult
status
of
its
own
and
become
a
fodder
of
memes
on
social
media.
Sunny
Deol-Ameesha
Patel
starrer
Gadar:
Ek
Prem
Katha
clocks
20
years
today
(June
15,
2021).
In
an
interview
with
Hindustan
Times,
the
film's
director
Anil
Sharma
opened
up
on
the
iconic
handpump
scene
and
called
it
an
'outburst
of
emotions'.
The
filmmaker
revealed
that
he
felt
like
throwing
the
entire
building
on
Amrish
Puri's
character
while
penning
that
scene.
However,
that
wasn't
practically
possible
so,
he
went
for
the
handpump.
"When
I
was
writing
the
scene,
I
felt
like
throwing
the
entire
building
on
Amrish
Puri
(his
character,
Ashraf
Ali).
But
that
was
not
practical.
So,
I
decided
to
put
the
handpump
in
the
scene.
It
was
not
just
about
uprooting
the
handpump,
it
was
an
outburst
of
emotions.
It
was
symbolic,"
Sharma
told
the
leading
daily.
He
said
that
while
scene
clicked
with
every
person
who
watched
the
film
in
theatres,
many
intellectuals
didn't
understand
it
as
they
believe
in
working
on
logic
alone.
Anil
Sharma
told
Hindustan
Times,
"When
people
asked
me
how
can
it
be
possible,
I
told
them,
'When
Lakshman
needed
sanjeevani
(herb)
in
Ramayan,
Hanuman
picked
up
the
entire
mountain.'
Tara
Singh
may
not
be
Hanuman
but
he
can
uproot
a
hand
pump.
We
believe
(in
Hanuman's
deeds)
as
we
are
emotionally
involved.
It
(the
scene)
was
a
creative
liberty
we
took,
and
every
person
sitting
in
the
theatre
watching
Gadar
Ek
Prem
Katha
related
with
the
emotions
and
clapped
for
the
sequence.
Many
intellectuals
do
not
understand
this
as
they
believe
in
working
on
logic
alone."
He
continued,
"Not
many
people
agreed
with
the
scene
when
it
was
written.
Most
intellectuals
felt
it
was
too
far-fetched.
I
do
not
say
intellectual
people
are
not
emotional,
they
are.
But
they
believe
in
logic,
they
believe
two
and
two
make
four.
But
for
emotions,
two
and
two
can
make
five,
or,
even
ten.
There
are
no
definitions
for
emotions
and
that
scene
was
about
the
emotional
outburst."
Elaborating
further,
he
added,
"People
lay
down
their
lives
for
their
country,
a
mother
may
do
so
for
her
child,
or
lovers
sacrifice
their
lives
for
their
loved
ones.
These
do
not
fall
under
any
definition
of
logic
(but
they
do
happen).
Love
can
be
defined
beyond
logic.
Logic
is
a
very
materialistic
thing,
that
involves
mathematics
and
science.
But
few
things
are
beyond
science."
In
the
same
interaction,
he
also
recalled
that
the
first
review
of
Gadar
Ek
Prem
Katha
that
he
read,
was
under
the
headline
'Gutter
Ek
Prem
Katha'.
However,
he
wasn't
affected
by
it
since
he
had
already
received
a
call
informing
him
about
the
love
people
showered
on
the
film.
He
said
that
while
the
critics
from
the
Hindi
belt
appreciated
the
film,
the
people
in
Mumbai
didn't
give
the
film
good
reviews.
Sunny
Deol's
Gadar:
Ek
Prem
Katha
was
a
massive
success
at
the
box
office
upon
its
release.
Despite
locking
horns
with
Aamir
Khan's
sports
drama
Lagaan,
the
film
emerged
as
the
highest-grossing
Indian
film
of
all
time
at
that
time
surpassing
the
record
of
Salman
Khan-Madhuri
Dixit's
Hum
Aapke
Hain
Koun..!
(1994).
Anil
Sharma
told
the
tabloid
that
the
reason
behind
the
success
of
Gadar:
Ek
Prem
Katha
wasn't
the
India-Pakistan
angle
but
the
emotions
involved
in
the
film.
"The
story
of
Gadar
is
a
couple's
story.
It
is
the
story
of
Ramayan.
A
child
wants
his
dad
to
bring
his
mom
back.
Gadar
was
not
a
hit
because
of
the
India-Pakistan
angle,
it
was
a
hit
because
of
the
emotions
involved.
It
was
a
love
story.
A
love
story
between
a
husband
and
wife,
a
son
and
his
mom,
his
dad.
A
love
story
between
Ashraf
Ali
(Amrish)
and
Sakeena
(Amisha).
The
way
Shaktiman
(film's
writer)
wrote
the
film,
all
added
up
for
the
film
to
be
a
huge
hit,"
the
director
was
quoted
as
saying
by
Hindustan
Times.