Gadar 2 actor Manish Wadhwa remembers OG villain Amrish Puri, recalls 1st day of shoot

Gadar 2 is a certified winner at the box office. The Sunny Deol starrer has already minted more than Rs 300 crore ever since its release. In a new interview, Manish Wadhwa, who portrays the role of the antagonist in the film, has talked about his role and also paid tribute to Amrish Puri.  

3 things you need to know 

• Manish Wadhwa plays the role of the villain, Hamid Iqbal in Gadar 2. 
• Gadar 2 was released in theatres on August 10. 
• The movie is headlined by Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel. 

Gadar 2 actor remembers OG villain of the film 

Manish Wadhwa's portrayal of the Pakistani Major General Hamid Iqbal in the film is garnering praise from all. In an interview with Bollywood Thikana, the actor said that he got nervous while shooting a pivotal scene of the film. He recalled that the first scene he shot for the new release was at the Lucknow La Martiniere College where the original handpump shot from Gadar: Ek Prem Katha was shot.

(Amrish Puri played the role of villain, Ashraf Ali in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha | Image: Youtube Screengrab)

The actor recalled, “They made me nervous in the first scene only, and so I was worried how this scene would be recreated.” He then added that he felt the original antagonist in the movie Amrish Puri was with him for the shot and he gave him the green light for the same. He added, “I feel Amrish Puri was there with me and told me, ‘Beta koi nahi, mera aashirwaad tere saath (Don’t worry, son. You have my blessings). Just start.”

Manish Wadhwa talks about his casting

(Manish Wadhwa plays the role of antagonist in Gadar 2 | Image: Youtube Screengrab)

In the same interview, the actor also spoke about the difficulties the makers faced in replacing Amrish Puri as the villain. He said “They were looking very hard for a villain. They searched for one in the South also, but they didn’t find the right person to play Hamid Iqbal.” He then revealed that it was when the fight master of the film Ravi Verma saw a footage of him from the film Shyam Singha Roy, the makers zeroed down on him. He also recalled that he was made to meet Sunny Deol and get a green light from him, as he was “quite worried about who will play the villain in the film.”