Gadar 2 director dismayed by Naseeruddin Shah calling film ‘jingoistic’: ‘He knows which ideology I belong to’

Anil Sharma expressed dismay at Naseeruddin Shah's recent comments about his film, Gadar 2, and said that the veteran actor shouldn't have commented about the film without having watched it.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | September 14, 2023 09:39 AM IST

3 min read

Naseeruddin Shah had criticsed the rise of films like Gadar 2.

Listen to this article

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Filmmaker Anil Sharma has reacted to actor Naseeruddin Shah’s recent comments about the growing popularity of movies such as Gadar 2 and The Kashmir Files. In an interview, the veteran actor said that even though he hasn’t seen either of those movies, he knows what they’re about. Anil Sharma, who helmed the blockbuster Gadar 2, expressed dismay at Naseer’s comments, and said that he could’ve at least taken the effort to watch the movie before talking about it.

In an interview with Aaj Tak, he said that Naseer is aware of his political leanings, and that Gadar 2 doesn’t have any of the divisive politics that the actor suspects it does. “I read that quote by Naseer sahab. I was surprised after reading it. Naseer sahab knows me well and he also knows which ideology I belong to. I am surprised that he is saying such things about Gadar 2.”

Also read | ‘Stars don’t step outside studios these days, filmmakers use face-replacement’: Gadar 2 director Anil Sharma calls out Bollywood practices

He added, “I would like to say that Gadar 2 is not against any community. Neither is it against any country. Gadar in itself is a film which is full of patriotism. It is a sequel. It is a proper masala film, which people have been watching for years. So I would like to tell Naseer sahab that once he watches Gadar 2, he will definitely change his statement. I still feel that he cannot say such things. I have been a fan of his acting. If he has said so, then I would request him to watch the film once. I have always made cinema with the aim of masala. I have never had any political propaganda in this. Naseer sahab himself is aware of this.”

In his statement to the Free Press Journal some days ago, Naseer had said that the ‘more jingoistic’ one is these days, ‘the more popular’ they become. “It’s not enough to love your country but beat drums about it and you have to create imaginary enemies… In fact, films like Kerala Story and Gadar 2, I haven’t seen them but I know what they are about. It’s disturbing that films like Kashmir Files are so massively popular whereas movies made by Sudhir Mishra, Anubhav Sinha, and Hansal Mehta, who are trying to portray the truth of their times don’t get seen,” he said.

While The Kerala Story was criticised for its inflammatory content by some quarters, Gadar 2 hasn’t faced the same level of scrutiny. In fact, director Anurag Kashyap praised Anil Sharma for making a patriotic movie responsibly. The film has made nearly Rs 520 crore in India so far, and remains the second-biggest Hindi movie of all time in India.

From the homepage