Few actors exude raw masculinity as Sunny Deol does. Few make anger look so genuine and few intimidate the hate object like he does. That upstretched index finger pointed at the evil guy complement the furrowed eyebrows, fiery eyes, and searing words to radiate menace. The physicality of it is just overpowering. Not many actors can match it. That’s a big part of the aura of the actor that he is.
But that also is his undoing. Filmmakers rarely go beyond exploring him more as an actor. So we see him in a similar role film after film, typecast as the troubled man-turned-angry avenger. Few films bring out the rustic charm and tenderness the only way he can express. Anil Sharma’s directorial Gadar (2001) tapped into it while doing justice to his hypermasculine image as well. The result was magical. Tara Singh, the role essayed by Deol, remained etched in public memory. While most remember him for the popular handpump scene, the real beauty of Gadar was in its tender first half.
Gadar 2 tries to revive the magic formula with mixed results. Tara Singh plays the doting father and husband to perfection with none of the earlier charm missing. In his angry, patriotic avatar in the second half, he sends adrenaline rushing, this time with a cartwheel. The handpump figures in a scene as a symbolic reference to his exploits many years ago to drive fear into a murderous mob. As he mouths patriotic lines, showing Pakistan its place, the audience erupts in applause. Like in the original, it plays to the gallery with no inhibition and finds whole-hearted appreciation. This time, the director tries to double the jingoistic thrill with Tara Singh’s son Jite joining in. And nobody minds.
Gadar 2 is in tune with the politics of our times. Hindus are mentioned with Hindustan in the same breath, as are communal tensions. Pakistan’s ruling class is ripped apart for its anti-India shenanigans. A decade ago, filmmakers would steer carefully off it by throwing some diplomacy into storytelling. Gadar part one, despite its jingoistic tone, was guarded while mentioning communities. The second part is more direct, more unapologetic. It’s a reflection of the contemporary politics of hard talk. There’s no problem with this approach so long as it is in sync with the story and the tonality of the film. Gadar 2 doesn’t disappoint much on this front.
Yet, it is less satisfying than the original. You get your adrenaline rush but not that feeling which made Gadar part of our fond memories. It’s perhaps due to the predictability of the movie. We knew what to anticipate. It was made known to us that part 2 would follow the same template as the original. Even the important songs were the same. Clearly, the director wanted to cash in on the original and not tinker with its unique selling points much. Expect Gadar 3 to follow the format with updated political messaging.
Coming back to Sunny Deol, directors should now make better use of him as an actor. ‘Dhai kilo ka haath’ is fine, but he can do justice to intense roles of the other kind too.
