EXCLUSIVE: Gadar references in Dream Girl 2 really worked, says Abhishek Banerjee

Abhishek Banerjee, who played Shahrukh in Dream Girl 2, spoke about what really worked with the Ayushmann Khurrana starrer.

By Keyur Seta -

September 21, 2023 - 5:56 PM IST

Filmmaker Raaj Shaandilyaa’s Dream 2 turned out to be a successful sequel to his much-loved comedy Dream Girl. Starring Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead, the second movie in the franchise has references to some popular Hindi films.

EXCLUSIVE: Gadar references in Dream Girl 2 really worked, says Abhishek Banerjee

Among these, Dream Girl 2 refers to Sunny Deol starrer Gadar not once but thrice. Manjot Singh’s character of a sardar is shown to be in love with a girl named Sakina, which refers to Tara Singh and Sakina’s love story from the Gadar franchise. Another scene makes funny comparison between Sunny Deol and Sunny Leone with the remembrance of the famous handpump scene. But the biggest Gadar moment from the film came when the song ‘Main Nikla Gaddi Leke’ played in a funny scene between Ayushmann and Abhishek Banerjee.

In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama, Abhishek was asked the thought behind a number of Gadar references in Dream Girl 2. He said, “Well, I really don’t know about the thought behind it, but I think it suited the situations very well. I think it really worked, especially the scene between me and Ayushmann. The audience loved that particular scene. I keep getting messages from fans and well-wishers all over the country about that scene where they really enjoyed it.”

Abhishek, who plays Shah Rukh in the film, believes that Dream Girl 2 filled the void of a comedy film. “I think Dream Girl as a franchise definitely has its own place. It’s a very loved film in the country. I know people have been craving for some good comedy in theatres. So, it was the right time. And that’s the beauty about the box office. If the film is really good, it really doesn’t matter how many films are releasing,” he said.

Dream Girl 2 released right between two big blockbusters in the form of Gadar 2 and Jawan. Yet it worked at the box office. Abhishek doesn’t find this surprising though. “Long time back Gadar and Lagaan released on the same time,” he said. “Both were different films, and both worked. In the last two months, different genre of films has worked. It’s really special. It shows that the Indian audience is craving for good cinema. If you give them what they want, they will flock the screens like they are doing right now. Thank God that Bollywood is back. Hopefully this trend will continue, and we will keep giving more blockbusters in the future.”

Also Read: Ayushmann Khurrana opens up on success of Dream Girl 2; says, “I want my films to be seen by the widest possible set of audience”