How Govinda turned down 'Gadar' over Hindu-Muslim conflict without being offered the film

Anil Sharma opened up on what actually went down between him and the superstar

With Gadar 2 storming the box office with its triumphant return, director Anil Sharma shed light on the casting decisions behind the original blockbuster, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. Recently, speculation had been rife that Govinda was initially considered for the lead in the original film.

However, Anil has stepped forward to clear the air. He firmly asserted that Sunny Deol was his sole and preferred choice for the iconic role. In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Anil also highlighted why Govinda was not in favour of doing the film.

Contrary to swirling rumours, Anil affirmed that Govinda was not in the run for the role in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. He shared, “Govinda wasn’t a choice for Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. I had done a film called Maharaja with him. One day, I was just narrating the story of Gadar to him and he told me, ‘I can’t do this film.’ He thought that I was narrating the film to him because I wanted to cast him.”

Elaborating on the sequence of events, Anil recounted Govinda's lack of interest in the project due to its sensitive portrayal of Hindu-Muslim conflicts. "Before narrating the story, I had told him that I have narrated this story to Sunny Deol and I am doing this film with him. Then he asked me, ‘What is the story?’ So then I narrated Gadar’s story to him and he told me, ‘No, I can’t do this film because it has so much Hindu-Muslim conflict.’"

He continued to state, "That was the small conversation we had about Gadar. Perhaps this misconception remained in his mind that I was offering him the film. But he wasn’t a bad choice, he was the superstar of that time but in my mind, I wanted a Punjabi hero and that could only be Sunny Deol.”

As Gadar 2 continues its impressive run at the box office, the sequel follows the journey of Tara Singh across the Pakistan border during the 1971 conflict. The film's narrative revolves around his audacious attempt to rescue his incarcerated son, portrayed by Utkarsh Sharma. The ensemble cast includes Ameesha Patel, Simratt Kaur, and Manish Wadhwa in pivotal roles. The sequel has achieved remarkable success.

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