Released in 2001, the film Gadar was a blockbuster. Its story, characters, dialogues and songs were all powerful. Yet, one scene remains the most popular even after 25 years: the ‘handpump’ scene.
In the scene, Ashraf Ali (Amrish Puri) sets a condition for Tara Singh (Sunny Deol) to accept him for Sakina’s sake, demanding he shout ‘Hindustan Murdabad’ Tara Singh’s blood boils. He shouts back, ‘Mera Hindustan zindabad tha, zindabad hai aur zindabad rahega.’
Where was Gadar’s handpump scene shot?
He then chants the slogan ‘Hindustan Zindabad.’ Intense action ensues, and in a fit of rage, Tara Singh uproots a handpump present at the location and uses it to strike his adversaries. The ‘Hindustan Zindabad’ and handpump scenes remain immensely popular to this day.
But do you know where this scene was actually filmed?
At which Lucknow college was Gadar shot?
The location where the handpump scene was filmed was not actually Pakistan, but a city in Uttar Pradesh. Yes, this scene was shot in Lucknow, the City of Nawabs. The specific location where Tara Singh uprooted the handpump was the famous La Martiniere College in Lucknow. The handpump scene for Gadar 2 was also filmed at this same college.
Have a look at the scene here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE-yt3yMTd8
Gadar’s shooting location has become a tourist spot
Director Anil Sharma himself spoke about this in an interview with Hindustan Times. He mentioned that the location has now become a tourist attraction. The director said, ‘The city plays a pivotal role in the film, and now it is playing another role in the city’s tourism as well. Auto-rickshaw drivers and guides take tourists to the famous locations where the film was shot. People keep sharing stories with me.’
Anil Sharma also stated that, just like Gadar and Gadar 2, he would shoot Gadar 3 in Lucknow as well. He went so far as to say that Gadar would not be possible without Lucknow.
More deets about the franchise
Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), featuring Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel, and Amrish Puri, proved to be an all-time blockbusters and made roughly Rs 132.6 crores at the box office. The sequel of this movie, Gadar 2, featured again Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel after 22 years, making it one of the biggest Hindi movies of all time, earning roughly Rs 686 crores at the global box office.
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