Sunny Deol holds a giant hammer in first poster of 'Gadar 2'

The makers of "Gadar 2" on the occasion of Republic Day unveiled the first look of Sunny Deol, one of its lead stars in the upcoming romantic period action drama.

A sequel of the superhit 2001 film "Gadar: Ek Prem Katha", the movie will also see other original stars Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma reprise their roles.

Filmmaker Anil Sharma, who also helmed the original, has directed the follow-up which is produced by Zee Studios.

The first poster of the film shows Deol as the muscular Tara Singh wielding a big hammer amid the destruction, with the tagline 'Hindustan Zindabad'.

Sharma said the team is "thrilled" to launch the first poster of "Gadar 2".

"'Gadar - Ek Prem Katha' isn't my film but it's a people's film and dynamically shifted the paradigm of the Indian film industry. It went on to become a cult icon wherein people breathed Tara Singh and Sakina's love story," the director said in a statement.

The first movie followed the love story of Tara Singh (Deol), an Indian Sikh man, and Sakina (Patel), a Pakistani Muslim woman, during the turbulent times of Partition 1947.

For Deol, "Gadar - Ek Prem Katha" has been an eminent part of both his personal and professional life.

"Tara Singh from 'Gadar' isn't just a protagonist but went on to become a cult icon that defied all odds and crossed all boundaries for his family and love. Collaborating with the team after 22 years was a creatively enriching experience," the Bollywood star said.

"The first installment gave some iconic scenes, songs and characters to the Indian film industry and is popular even today. Needless to say, entertainment and emotion make up the artillery for 'Gadar 2' and we are delighted to commemorate the Republic Day with the first poster launch," added Shariq Patel, CEO of Zee Studios.

"Gadar 2" will hit the screens on August 11.