Utkarsh Sharma Recalls Denying Being Part Of 'Gadar' As A Child, Hopes The Sequel Creates The Same Euphoria
When Utkarsh Sharma started filming the 2001 action drama Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, he was a reluctant four-year-old. He reflects on the excitement the Sunny Deol-Ameesha Patel movie generated at the time
New Delhi: When Utkarsh Sharma started filming the 2001 action drama Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, he was a reluctant four-year-old actor. By the time the movie was released in theatres, he was a curious six-year-old boy who remembers seeing "history" when the film opened to rave reviews across the nation and broke box office records. But essentially nothing changed in his life.
The actor reflects on the excitement the Sunny Deol-Ameesha Patel movie generated at the time: "I was in a get-up in Gadar, with a turban and hair extension, so my classmates in school never quite recognised me." For the August 11 release of the movie's sequel, Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma returned to reprise their roles.
Utkarsh, the son of Gadar franchise director Anil Sharma, claims he used to despise being in the spotlight and would adamantly deny that he was the same boy in the movie anytime kids or parents ended up recognising him.
Utkarsh denied his connection to Gadar and also said that when the role came up, he even declined it. "When I was younger, I preferred to play cricket over doing the movie. Ameesha Patel and a line producer asked my father why he didn't cast me as the kid in Gadar just before the kid portions were about to start. Ameesha Patel would frequently come home for rehearsals. I categorically refused, stating that I had zero interest in acting."
He continued, "Then I saw that my father was in trouble, he had cast a child for the part but there were some date issues happening. The shooting was supposed to take place in a difficult terrain and would last for nights. It was tough to convince parents to allow their child for this. My mother told me that I could help my father by doing this role, so I just said yes. But I didn’t know I had to wake up early mornings, run on the train and do all of that!”
For a very long period, according to Utkarsh, he was unaware of Gadar's significance. He had a hint of the juggernaut because it had a high recall value, but it really materialised when the movie was recently rereleased and he witnessed shows still drawing large audiences even after 20 years.
The actor now wishes that the eagerly anticipated film's sequel might produce the same euphoria that he recalls feeling while watching Gadar with his parents in Maratha Mandir.
'Gadar 2' releases in theatres om August 11.
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