Sunny Deol blames ‘hatred between India and Pakistan’ on political games at Gadar 2 trailer launch, gets slammed

The cast and makers of Gadar 2 unveiled the trailer for Gadar 2, the sequel to Anil Sharma’s 2001 blockbuster cross-border drama, on Wednesday. At the Gadar 2 trailer launch event, which was held on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Divas, Anil was joined by actors Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel, as well as the rest of Gadar 2 cast. Sunny’s statement on India-Pakistan relations at the trailer launch of his upcoming movie attracted attention, with many on Twitter, now termed X, criticising the actor. Also read: Sunny Deol smashes Pakistanis with a sledgehammer in Gadar 2 trailer

The actor and BJP MP from Punjab’s Gurdaspur blamed the ‘political game’ for the hatred between India and Pakistan. Many on social media were unhappy with his ‘diplomatic’ statement, with some claiming he made the remark so people in Pakistan would watch Gadar 2. Others said the film should be boycotted because of Sunny’s statement.

What Sunny Deol said

At Gadar 2 trailer launch, Sunny Deol said, “Kuch le jane ya lene-dene ki baat nahi hoti hai. Baat hoti hai insaniyat ki. Jhagde nahi hone chahiye. Dono taraf utna hi pyar hai, yeh siyasi khel hota hai jo sab nafratein paida karta hai. Aur woh hi aap dekhenge iss film mein bhi. Janta nahi koi chahti ki ek dusre ke sath hum jhagda kare. Aakhir hai toh sab iss hi mitti se (The essence lies in humanity, not in taking or giving. A conflict between the two sides should not prevail. There is love on both sides. It is the political blame game that creates hatred between India and Pakistan, a theme reflected in this film. Both nations comprise of people who seek peace, as we are essentially one and the same).”

Reactions to his statement at Gadar 2 trailer launch

A person said on X, “Come out of your cave, Sunny Deol. Go and visit Pakistani.” Another one said, “It seems they want to run this film in Pakistan!! It means it will be super flop in India…” One person said, “Gadar’s USP was Pakistan bashing. The only plausible way for the Gadar sequel to succeed was to persist with that bashing, and make audience feel the nostalgia. But ironically the leading man is peddling the long dead ‘aman ki asha (hope for peace)’ sentiments at the promotions!”

A person also said, “Is dialogue ke saath hi picture flop ho gai (With his statement, the film is already a flop). Boycott Gadar 2!” A person joked, “This movie has such low buzz that even giving a boycott call will be considered as helping it. So let is die unsung unhonoured and unseen.”

About Gadar 2

Gadar 2, directed by Anil Sharma, will see Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel reprise their iconic roles of Tara Singh and Sakina. The film releases on August 11. Gadar 2 is co-produced by Anil and Zee Studios. The sequel comes over two decades after the original, Gadar.

Talking about Gadar 2, filmmaker Anil Sharma had told Hindustan Times in a 2022 interview, “We have worked with the same cast and characters Tara Singh (Sunny), Sakina (Amisha) and Jeete (Utkarsh Sharma). The story too has progressed 22 years ahead. My son (Utkarsh) has grown from a kid to a youngster so it’s a natural progression for everyone. For the new audience it will be a new film and for old timers it’s a sequel.”