Gadar was a sleeper superhit. There was surprise at the huge numbers Gadar added up at the time of its release, surpassing even the critically better-received superhit Lagaan which was coincidentally released on the same day.

This Anil Sharma-directed film found instant favour with an audience ready to be roused to patriotic fervour in the wake of the Kargil war. In this context, even the movie's jingoism, with the hero incredibly taking on the entire army of another country, got accepted. But what also proved an immense crowd pleaser was the quiet love story (between Sunny Deol and Amisha Patel) at the film's centre.

The plight of a hapless couple caught between forces not of their own making was gently played out amidst the operatic decibels of the other drama. Moreover, this period film set in 1940s India captured the trauma of the country's Partition and the resulting human tragedy that could not fail to move audiences. Gadar is said to have crossed an amazing Rs 60 crores till date.

Since then, the growth in the film business has been remarkable; with 2006 seeing a heartening bunch of superhits like Rang De Basanti, Fanaa and now Krrish. Whether the four-week-old Krrish surpass Gadar remains to be seen.