Gadar: Ek Prem Katha
2001 · Directed by Anil Sharma
Original language: Hindi
- action
- drama
- romance
- history
The story
During the partition, Tara marries Sakina and they live a happy life. However their happiness is short-lived when Sakina's father forces her to stay in Pakistan and separates her from her family.
What it’s like
Sun-bleached Punjabi fields, dusty railway platforms and bright, saturated wedding colours give this film a big, sweeping melodrama look, with the camera moving freely through crowds and wide landscapes. The score swells with dhol drums and orchestral strings, and several full-throated songs interrupt the story at emotional peaks. Its mood swings between tender romance and rousing, crowd-pleasing heroism, with a sense of sincere, unabashed feeling. The pace is long and expansive, suited to a weekend afternoon or a movie night with company. The action is loud and frequent, with fist fights, gunfire and partition-era violence that is stylised and bombastic rather than graphic, though some scenes of mob brutality and cruelty land hard. Romance and family separation drive the emotional arc, with a strong, unfashionable sincerity throughout. It suits viewers who enjoy emotional spectacle, classic Bollywood excess and historical drama, and who can tolerate its intense, sometimes harsh, violence.
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