'I'm not a jingoistic film-maker'

Sharma agrees that his earlier films like The Hero (2003) and Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo (2004) were patriotic stories. “But, terming them as jingoistic is taking things a little too far,” said Sharma.

The filmmaker, who last directed Dharmendra and Sunny Deol in Apne in 2007, does not understand why Gadar continues to be held in negative light despite its huge success at the box office. “I am perplexed that Gadar, in spite of being one of the biggest blockbusters in the history of Indian cinema, has seen continued panning by media for being jingoistic. I am sure audiences didn’t feel the same because otherwise it wouldn’t have been considered as one of the three or four major films that have come out from India in last 50 odd years,” said Sharma.

The film, a story of a Sikh and a Muslim set during the partition of India, was singled out for negative sentiments that it allegedly invoked against Muslims and Pakistan. In fact, this was cited as one of the major reasons for the film’s blockbuster run.