Filmmaker Anil Sharma has completed the first schedule of his upcoming period drama Arjun Naga and confirmed that work on Gadar 3 is currently underway at the script stage.

Anil Sharma says Gadar 3 script is under development as he wraps first schedule of Arjun Naga

A new chapter after four decades in cinema

Across a career spanning more than forty years, Sharma has built his name on large scale, emotionally driven cinema, from Hukumat and Tehelka to Gadar: Ek Prem Katha and its sequel, Gadar 2. His upcoming film, Arjun Naga, is a period drama mounted on a massive scale, starring his son Utkarsh Sharma in the lead role, with Arjun Rampal reportedly cast as the antagonist.

In an exclusive conversation with Variety India, Sharma said, “Right now, I am working on a very big project. I have already finished my 10 to 20-day schedule. I am yet to announce the cast. The movie is called Arjun Naga. It is a period film set on a massive scale. I would like to say that very few times in life one gets a script so solid. Just like Hukumat, Tehelka, Gadar, Arjun Naga is exactly like that and I am now working on it. I will talk about this in detail soon,” he said.

Gadar 3 still in development

Sharma also addressed the long-awaited third instalment of the Gadar franchise. “As for Gadar 3, we are right now working on the script and once we are satisfied and the story is blocked is when we begin production, hopefully by the end of this year,” he said. The update comes after Gadar 2 became one of the biggest Hindi blockbusters of 2023, keeping anticipation alive for the next chapter.

The philosophy behind Gadar’s lasting appeal

Reflecting on why the original Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, released in 2001 with Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel, continues to resonate, Sharma said, “What makes pop culture? Things we like and enjoy become part of pop culture. The names have been changing over the years, people have aged, but the soul has been the same. Who is 40 years old now was 18 at some point. When Gadar came, it managed to make space in the hearts of its audience. It has managed to stay there. The fact that it was relevant regardless of time is why it managed to stay and is still sampled to date,” he explained.

He attributed this connection to writing from the perspective of an ordinary viewer rather than a filmmaker. “I know what the audience wants because I am a part of the audience. I have always prioritized the audience. I never write my films like a filmmaker. I am a man sitting in a single-screen theatre, not even a multiplex. If the story excites that man sitting in the single screen, that is what makes it into my film. The filmmaker has to be the first audience,” he said.

He further stressed that cinema ultimately belongs to the people who buy tickets and keep the theatrical ecosystem alive. “You make films for them to come to the cinema halls to watch your work. If you make a film thinking it is for you, why spend crores? Instead, upload it on YouTube and keep watching it,” he added.

With Arjun Naga in production and Gadar 3 taking shape on paper, Sharma continues to anchor his filmmaking in the same audience first philosophy that has defined his career.

Also Read: Anil Sharma dismisses claims of making Gadar for proving relevance as the film marks 25 years, says, “All that matters to me is that audience has seen my film and has liked it”