'Gadar 2' starring Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel released in theaters on August 11. It is a sequel to the 2001 blockbuster 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha' which also featured Amrish Puri in a major role. He played Ashraf Ali. Amrish's character was a pivotal one and he was brought back on the screen with the help of CGI in the sequel. Amrish Puri passed away in 2005. It was quite an emotional moment for his family to watch him on screen. His grandson Vardhan Puri called it a 'brilliant idea' by the makers and credited director Anil Sharma and his team for recreating his grandfather's character through CGI. He added, "It made every Indian including my family members emotional".
When asked if he missed Mr Puri, Vardhan said, "Like everyone else, I too missed seeing him on screen. His presence is something else. There’s nobody like him. Watching him on screen is always a treat."
Ashraf Ali was one of the iconic characters of 'Gadar'. Vardhan feels that his contribution to the movie is immense. "Ashraf Ali is a cult character loved by millions of cinegoers. The hero becomes huge only when the villain is huger," he said.
The 'Yeh Saali Aashiqui' actor also said that he also had interactions with Sunny Deol and Anil Sharma about his granddad. He shared, "They are very loving and graceful individuals. We share a loving bond. They miss him dearly and get emotional every time they speak about him. Dadu and Sunny sir had a father-son kind of relationship. Dadu loved Anil sir also for his conviction and warmth."
'Gadar 2' is doing well at the box office. When Vardhan was asked what would have been Amrish Ji's reaction to it had he been alive, he said, "He would have been a big part of the film and would be rejoicing the success with the team. I’m sure he has thrown a big party in heaven today with all his favourite people up there".
Vardhan also recalled fond memories Amrish Puri shared with him about 'Gadar'. "He spoke quite a bit about this one time in Amritsar where the cast and crews couldn’t shoot at the railway station as lakhs of crowds had collected to watch the shoot and things got disorderly. Dadu had taken the mic and got the crowd in control with the help of the PA system. Only after that could they proceed with the shoot,'' he concluded.
