Utkarsh Sharma compares Gadar 2's box office clash with OMG 2 to Barbie and Oppenheimer: ‘It should be celebrated’

Gadar 2 and OMG 2 are set to clash at the box office on August 11. In a report, actor Utkarsh Sharma, who plays the character of Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel's son in Gadar 2, said that the clash should be celebrated like the box office clash between Hollywood films Barbie and Oppenheimer. 

Both Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer were released on July 21 and gave rise to the phenomenon of Barbenheimer. In their first week at the Indian box office, the two Hollywood films together made a collection of ₹100.6 crore net.

Now, Utkarsh Sharma has compared the clash of Barbie and Oppenheimer to that of Gadar 2 and OMG 2 in a interview, he said “It's good that these two films are releasing together. Akshay sir ki film hai aur Akshay sir ke toh hum bhi fan hai. (It is Akshay Sir's film and I am a big fan of him.) I'm so happy about the fact that their censor issue was going on and I've heard it's now resolved. It should be celebrated. The way Barbie and Oppenheimer came together and it was a celebration.”

He further said, “Gadar and Lagaan came together and it was a celebration. That's what the audience is missing - 'cinema ka joh mela laga rehta that (Cinemas are lined up like a fair), that's what people are missing. The film's purpose to entertain the audience is much bigger than the controversies or negativity. I think it's important to create that vibe again in the theatres and it would be better for the industry on the whole. I wish them all the best. Akshay sir is playing Mahadev in the film and the way I see it is, our film will have Mahadev's blessings too.”

Directed by Anil Sharma, Gadar 2 features Ameesha Patel and Sunny in lead roles. Their 2001 film Gadar was one of the highest-grossing films in Bollywood history at that time. The sequel comes over two decades after the original.

Talking about Gadar 2, filmmaker Anil Sharma told Hindustan Times in a 2022 interview, "We have worked with the same cast and characters Tara Singh (Sunny), Sakina (Amisha) and Jeete (Utkarsh Sharma). The story too has progressed 22 years ahead. My son (Utkarsh) has grown from a kid to a youngster so it’s a natural progression for everyone. For the new audience it will be a new film and for old timers it’s a sequel.”