As Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel starrer ‘Gadar’ celebrates the 25th anniversary of its release, the actress has reignited the debate among movie buffs about its box office take-up rates. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Ameesha shared screenshots of publicly available data to support her assertion that the ‘Gadar’ series attracted more moviegoers than the ‘Dhurandhar’ films.
The actress described herself as lucky to have been part of a landmark cinematic outing, and highlighted numbers that compared audience take-up for both franchises across their theatrical runs.
how Amisha Patel Compare numbers
As per the details shared by Amisha, the original ‘Gadar’, which released in 2001, is said to have clocked over 50 million views in India. The sequel, “Fate 2,” which arrives in theaters in 2023, is estimated to have attracted between 34 and 34.5 million views.The numbers mentioned in its post also said that the first part of ‘Dhurandhar’ had approximately 32.2 to 35.6 million views domestically, while ‘Dhurandhar 2’ was reported to have crossed the 43 million mark. Using these numbers, Amisha reiterates her belief that the combined audience presence of ‘Gadar’ films remains unparalleled.
Sakina heritage
In a recent interaction, the actress spoke about the continuing popularity of her character Sakina and revealed that the film continues to receive affection from audiences across borders.
Recalling the responses she has received over the years, Ameesha said, “Kya Ameesha ji, Pakistan ko apne rula dia, Sakina ne rula dia” (Amisha ji, you have made Pakistan emotional; Sakina has made Pakistan emotional).She also added that many parents named their daughters Sakina after the character, something she considers one of the heartwarming results of the film’s success.While discussing the audience response to the franchise, Ameesha reflected on what the turnout numbers mean to her personally.
“Gadar 1 and Gadar 2 (combined) have the highest footfall, even more than Dhurandhar 1 and 2. Just the number of people who have actually entered the theaters to watch both films is very encouraging and I feel like I am a part of cinema history, to be lucky and blessed.
“For the actress, the numbers are less about the competition and more about the affection that audiences have shown toward the story over multiple generations.
A franchise that still resonates
Directed by Anil Sharma, ‘Gaadar’ is set against the backdrop of Partition and traces the love story of Tara Singh and Sakina. The film became one of the defining films of its time and remains deeply rooted in popular culture.More than two decades later, “Gadar 2” has revived the series for a new generation, once again drawing audiences to theaters in droves and reaffirming the enduring appeal of Tara Singh and Sakina’s story.