Gadar - Ek Prem Katha is celebrating 25 years today as it released on 15th June 2001 to a bumper response. The collections on day one were not a record but that was basically because it was not the biggest release in terms of prints. In those days prints were important for the final number as generally most commercial films with a starcast were going to 90% plus occupancy on day one. Gadar Ek Prem Katha opened to cent per cent capacity all over barring some stations of South India.

The collections of the film were the never seen before type especially for those initial 10-12 weeks and the craze was unprecedented with the music and dialogues and certain scenes going to such a level that they became etched in public memory like nothing before. Never had exhibitors seen such a response to scenes with the public going wild and this was practically all over the country. 

The film did an insane job at the box office when released and was one of the great films of India cinema but to get among the real cream there has to be a longevity. Gadar Ek Prem Katha had this longevity as some scenes were such that the audience would never forget but due to the change in business it never had that theatrical run of a Sholay or Mother India which even after twenty of years release were a theatrical force. These films proved their relevance well after release so while Gadar Ek Prem Katha had the same relevance their was no way to prove it. Yes satellite was a rage but then Sooryavansham was a bigger rage so when you want to be among the greats you need something more than satellite.

Eventually Gadar 2 happened in 2023 and that initial and the response to the film rubber stamped the greatness and relevance of Gadar Ek Prem Katha and how it had passed the test the time like very few before it. The reaction to Gadar 2 meant that that Gadar Ek Prem Katha was probably the second greatest film ever seen in India after Sholay.  There are only 4-5 films in this bracket and time will tell if Bahubali or Dhurandhar can get there though it will be tougher for the former due to the faces in it and the music in the film as Chandralekha was a similar film in 1949 but ten years later no one really knew about it. With Dhurandhar time will tell though it does not have that mass appreciation at the level of a Sholay, Gadar or Mother India.

Gadar clashed with another big film Lagaan but in those days the clashes did not matter as both films had their chain of theatres in each circuit. Lagaan had better industry reports so the general sense was that it will do better but this was related to media and industry. Gadar had been sold for higher prices and was a wider release so ground realities were different to what the industry and media thought even before release. The only thing was business was not about the weekend or week at that time so with the better industry reports they would have thought that the final business of Lagaan would be better.