Gadar “The Rebellion” (2001): A Violent Love Story

If you think that violence cannot resolve anything, then it’s time you changed your thoughts! Today I am going to narrate a terrifying violent tale of rebellion set during the era of the historic confrontation of India with Pakistan. In this tale, it’s one daredevil Sardar who single-handedly takes on the entire population of Pakistan. A kind of love story that has never been narrated before! If you read this story, your blood is sure to boil.

Gadar (2001): Ek Prem Katha

It was the year 1947, soon after the Partition of India, where India was divided into India and Pakistan, ferocious riots between Hindus and Muslims erupted. Hindus and Sikhs were on one side and the Muslims were on the other side. There was a mass massacre where several people were mercilessly killed. A truck driver named Tara Singh (Sunny Deol) planned to kill Muslims during the riots. However, as he was about to attack a crowd of Muslims, he suddenly recognized his college friend Sakina (Ameesha Patel) in the crowd and stopped.

As Tara recognized Sakina, he decided to save her from the Hindu mob that was following her to kill her. As the mob attempted to kill her, Tara Singh defended her by cutting his finger and applying his blood to her forehead. In Hindu and Sikh traditions, if you do this to a woman, she gets recognized as your wife. As Tara did so, the mob immediately stopped recognizing her as Tara’s wife.

The story then moves to the past showing how Tara Singh and Sakina knew each other since their college days. Tara wanted to become a singer and Sakina had disguised herself as an old music teacher and she and her friends had made a fool out of him. As the final year of their college ended, Tara gave an antique Taj Mahal showpiece as a goodbye gift to Sakina before she returned home.

Meanwhile, the partition of India had already happened. India was now divided into two, India and Pakistan. The Hindus who were now in Pakistan needed to leave their homes and travel to India as soon as possible. Among the Hindus who were leaving for India were Tara Singh’s parents Jaideep Singh, Parmeet Singh, and his two young twin sisters. Tara’s dearest Muslim friend met Tara’s family while they were leaving for India and requested them to stay with him. However, the family disagreed with his request. They reluctantly decided to leave for India. The family reached the station and boarded the train. As they did so, a large Muslim mob attacked the entire train which consisted of Hindu and Sikh refugees who were going to India.

The Hindus and Sikhs on the train tried to escape, but everyone got killed gruesomely by the Muslims. One of the sisters of Tara hastily tried to consume a bottle of poison, but two Muslim men snatched it from her, threw it, and killed her after cruel physical abuse. Tara’s parents also got killed in the train massacre. The train, which was now full of dead bodies of Hindus and Sikhs, arrived at the Amritsar station in India. Tara Singh and other Hindus and Sikhs were waiting to pick up their relatives at the station. As the train full of dead bodies arrived at the station, they were horrified. They found their families and relatives slaughtered by Muslims inside the train. Enraged, the Hindus and Sikhs formed a strong squad in East Punjab and retaliated in the same manner along with Tara Singh and massacred every Muslim in Amritsar station who was trying to flee to Pakistan.

The story moves to the present where after saving Sakina from the mob, Tara Singh takes her to his house. Sakina received the fake news from a local railway station that her parents were no more. As she had nowhere else to go, she started living with Tara. Indian society was reacting negatively to Tara for keeping a Muslim woman in his house. As time passed, Tara and Sakina eventually got married and they had a baby boy named Chiranjeet Singh (Utkarsh Sharma).

All was good until Sakina saw an old newspaper during the Holi festival that had a photograph of her father Ashraf Ali (Amrish Puri) and realized that her parents were alive. Her father had now become the mayor of Lahore, Pakistan. Sakina called her father from the Pakistani Embassy in Delhi, India and he arranged to fly her to Lahore. However, Tara and their son Chiranjeet, who was supposed to accompany her to Lahore, were told at the last minute that their visa formalities had not been completed, which compelled them to stay in India. Sakina left with a heavy heart hoping that her husband and son would come to her within a few days. But her tyrant father, Ashraf Ali, had other plans for her. As Sakina reached Pakistan, she found herself trapped and her father was planning to get her married to some Pakistani big shot. Ashraf Ali told her that her marriage with Tara Singh in India was null and void in Pakistan. Sakina’s protests to return to her husband and son fell on deaf ears.

Sakina was introduced to an influential man and was told by Ashraf Ali that she would be marrying him, but she refused as she was already married and a second marriage during her husband’s lifetime would be a sin for her. Her family forcibly locked her up in a room inside their house. Meanwhile, Tara Singh learned that he won’t ever receive a visa to Pakistan. So, he along with his close friend and little son entered Pakistan illegally by crossing the border.

Tara Singh accompanied by his friend and son, took shelter somewhere in Pakistan and started searching for his wife, Sakina. They found out that his wife was getting forcefully married to a Pakistani man! Tara successfully reached her before her marriage could take place. At the marriage venue, Tara knocked out the groom and a fight was about to break out between him and Ashraf Ali when the priest stopped them as the brawl between the two could end up harming Ashraf Ali’s political career. Ashraf Ali agreed to consider Tara’s and Sakina’s marriage as valid under two conditions: They must live in Pakistan and Tara has to convert to Islam. These conditions were accepted by Tara Singh in public the very next day, which was against Ashraf Ali’s plans.

Ashraf Ali saw that now he would have to accept this Sardar-turned-Muslim as his son-in-law. So, he planned something more sinister to insult Tara Singh in public in front of all Pakistanis who were assembled there. As Ashraf Ali tried to make Tara insult India to prove that he was a true Pakistani, Tara got enraged and shouted at Ashraf Ali that if, for the sake of India, he could bow his head then he could also cut off the heads of Pakistanis for preserving the dignity of India. At this, the crowd comprising thousands of Pakistanis pounced on Tara Singh. A massive brawl ensued where Tara Singh took on thousands of people, all at the same time! See it to believe it! Tara Singh uprooted a massive hand pump and started beating and killing the attackers. It was a massacre and the scene was so horrific that after some time the entire mob stood still reluctant to attack Tara Singh. After killing many people, Tara along with Sakina and their son managed to escape from Lahore city and they hid in a poor couple’s cottage near a forest at the Pakistan-India border.

Gadar (2001): Ek Prem Katha Official Trailer:

But their stay at the poor couple’s house came with hurdles. The poor man’s wife was a greedy woman who wanted all of Sakina’s ornaments for herself. She used to take some jewelry from Sakina each day Sakina and her husband and son stayed in their house. She refused to listen to her husband, who was of an understanding nature, and threw Sakina out of the house when she could not give her any more jewelry. After Sakina left with Tara and their son, Ashraf Ali reached the cottage and relocated his daughter.

Gadar (2001): Ek Prem Katha: Remastered and Released in cinemas on June 9, 2023!

After a long turmoil, Tara and Sakina along with their son catch a cotton mill train from the desert which was travelling to India. It was then Ashraf Ali found and attacked the speeding train. An immense brawl between Tara Singh and dozens of Ashraf Ali’s men ensued as all of them started boarding the speeding train. During the fight, Sakina accidentally got shot by her own father, Ashraf Ali, and lapsed into a coma. It was then Tara Singh lost control and pounced on Ashraf Ali. Ashraf Ali nearly got killed by Tara Singh but he spared him after beating him up black and blue. Ashraf Ali had a realization after Tara Singh spared him. As Sakina gained consciousness she found her father and husband standing by her side along with her son. Ashraf Ali finally accepted Tara Singh as his son-in-law. Tara and Sakina along with their son returned back to India.

Gadar 2 Official Trailer: In 2001 history was created in Indian cinema and history will be created again after 22 years on August 11, 2023, as Tara Singh makes his return in Gadar 2: The Katha Continues! Presenting Bollywood’s Ultimate Action Hero Sunny Deol as Tara Singh!

This was my narration of Gadar (2001). Watch out for my review of Gadar 2 only on The Movie Blog as soon as it releases on August 11, 2023!