Veteran action director Sham Kaushal shared his experience working with Sunny Deol on the successful movie Gadar 2. He discussed how he designed the fan-favourite scene involving a hand pump, which also played a significant role in the original film released in 2001. The sequel, which featured the same handpump scene, premiered in theatres on August 11.
During an interview, Sham Kaushal, who is the father of actors Vicky Kaushal and Sunny Kaushal, stated that he created the hand pump to be a significant and impressive character, almost on par with Sunny’s Tara Singh. He also commented on Sunny’s demeanour on set, describing him as a serene individual, but acknowledging his capacity to change when the director says “action.”
He said, “He is a cool guy, we’d greet each other with a Punjabi jhappi when we’d meet on set. He becomes a different person after the camera starts. Otherwise, he is shaant, lagta hai devta ka roop hai. He’s a very sweet person, he behaves in a very unhurried manner, but when he is unleashed on screen, it’s like watching a lion.”
Sham Kaushal, while discussing the hand pump scene, stated that the idea was conceived during the writing and direction phase. However, the responsibility of executing it fell on him. He emphasised the importance of not making any changes to the closeups in the sequence as it could have ruined the scene. He explained that the handpump was not just a prop but was portrayed as a hero even bigger than Sunny Deol, who suddenly appeared off-screen. The identity of this unseen hero was not revealed immediately, creating a sense of tension and anticipation. The reactions of the characters added to the buildup of suspense until the hand pump was finally revealed. According to Sham Kaushal, if the hand pump had been revealed right away, it wouldn’t have been as enjoyable.
Sham Kaushal is going to collaborate with Shah Rukh Khan for his upcoming film called Dunki. He mentioned that the movie will not be entirely based on action, but the viewers will witness their favourite superstar performing some action scenes. Additionally, this will be his fourth project with Rajkumar Hirani.
See Also: Composer Uttam Singh calls out Gadar 2 makers for using his song without permission