Sunny Deol in the hand pump scene in Gadar2 . (Courtesy: Twitter)
Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel's Gadar 2 has taken the country by storm. The sequel of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha continues to roar at the box office and how. After all, Gadar 2 is eyeing to enter the 500-crore club. From the songs to the action sequences, the film has struck a chord with critics and fans alike. Now, action director Sham Kaushal has opened up about the fan-favourite hand pump scene in the film. In a conversation with India Today, Sham Kaushal, who is Vicky Kaushal and Sunny Kaushal's father, revealed that the hand pump for him was not just a prop, “but an even bigger hero than Sunny Deol.” The veteran action director revealed, “It started on the page, with the writing and the direction. But executing it was my responsibility.”
Sham Kaushal added how even a minute change in the cinematography would have “ruined” the impact of the scene. He said, “Even a slight change to the closeups in that sequence would have ruined it. My take on it was that the hand pump wasn't a hand pump, but an even bigger hero than Sunny Deol had suddenly appeared off-screen behind him.”
Sham Kaushal said that it was a tactic to not reveal the hand pump in the first go, but to make it appear like a “hulk”.
“We didn't immediately reveal who he [Sunny Deol] had seen out of frame, but made it seem like an even bigger Hulk was standing there. Then we added reactions, and built tension, and only then did we reveal the hand pump. If we'd revealed the hand pump immediately, it wouldn't have been as fun,” said Sham Kaushal.
Talking about working with Sunny Deol, the action director said that personally, he is a “cool guy,” and revealed they would always “greet each other with a Punjabi jhappi” on the set. Sham Kaushal added that as soon as the actor comes in front of the camera, “It is like watching a lion.”
Gadar 2 was released on August 11. The film, apart from Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel, also stars Utkarsh Sharma and Simrat Kaur.