Border

Border is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language war film written, produced, and directed by J. P. Dutta. It is set during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and is based on the real-life Battle of Longewala. The film stars Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Sudesh Berry, and Puneet Issar, with Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Tabu, Raakhee, Pooja Bhatt, and Sharbani Mukherjee in supporting roles.

Border

Theatrical release poster
Directed by	J. P. Dutta
Produced by	J. P. Dutta Bhanwar Singh
Screenplay by	J. P. Dutta
Dialogues by
Story by
Starring	Sunny Deol Jackie Shroff Suniel Shetty Akshaye Khanna Puneet Issar Sudesh Berry Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Music by	Songs: Anu Malik Score: Aadesh Shrivastava
Cinematography	Ishwar R. Bidri Nirmal Jani
Edited by	Deepak Wirkud Vilas Ranade
Production company	J. P. Films
Distributed by	J. P. Films
Release date	13 June 1997
Running time	170 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	est. ₹12 crore
Box office	est. ₹66.70 crore (India Nett)

Dutta began writing the script in September 1995 and finished it in April 1996. Most of the film was shot in Bikaner, Rajasthan, with some scenes filmed in Jodhpur. The song "Sandese Aate Hai" by Sonu Nigam and Roop Kumar Rathod became hugely popular. Javed Akhtar wrote the lyrics, Anu Malik composed the songs, and Hariharan sang "Mere Dushman Mere Bhai"..

Released on 13 June 1997, the film received positive reviews for its story, direction, performances, and music. It became the highest-grossing Hindi film in India in 1997 and was declared an All-Time Blockbuster. It also won three National Film Awards, including Best Film on National Integration, and four Filmfare Awards, including Best Director for J. P. Dutta and Best Male Debut for Akshaye Khanna.

The film remains a classic and was screened in 2017 on India's 70th Independence Day to mark its 20th anniversary. A sequel, Border 2, starring Sunny Deol and directed by Anurag Singh, is scheduled for release in 2026.

Plot

The film begins before the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 is officially declared. At a forward airbase, Indian Air Force Wing Commander Andy Bajwa and his team are sent to Rajasthan. They are told to fly Hawker Hunter aircraft in the Jaisalmer sector to support the army. On the way, Bajwa meets his friend Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri of the 23rd Punjab Regiment, who is taking command of a small post at Longewala with only 120 soldiers.

Kuldip meets his second-in-command, 2nd Lieutenant Dharamvir Singh Bhan (whose father died in the 1965 war), and Naib Subedar Mathura Das. They join BSF officer Bhairon Singh, a proud local who loves the desert.

During a patrol, they encounter insurgents who have informed the Pakistani army about their position. Dharamvir hesitates to kill one of them, so Kuldip shoots the man himself. Dharamvir is shaken, and Bhairon comforts him. The two share stories about their families—Dharamvir’s fiancée Kamla and Bhairon’s wife Phool Kanwar.

Soon, Subedar Ratan Singh joins with two anti-tank guns. Dharamvir later kills a spy, proving his courage. The men wait for action, listening to war news on the radio. Das is granted leave to see his sick wife, but war breaks out on 3 December 1971 when Pakistan bombs Indian airbases.

Kuldip sends small teams to patrol and evacuate nearby villages. Dharamvir’s patrol spots Pakistani tanks and infantry, led by Ghulam Dastagir, entering India. They report this to Kuldip, who learns there will be no air support at night. He decides to hold the post instead of retreating, and his men choose to stay and fight.

At night, Pakistani tanks attack, but Kuldip’s mines and RCL guns destroy several. Das destroys many tanks but is mortally wounded. Ratan sacrifices himself to save his men. Bhairon also dies while blowing up a tank. Dharamvir returns but is killed in a firefight. A captured Pakistani soldier reveals Dastagir’s plan to capture Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and even Delhi.

At dawn, Dastagir launches a final massive attack. Kuldip leads a counterattack with rocket launchers and grenades, killing Dastagir. Bajwa’s air force squadron arrives and destroys more tanks, forcing Pakistan’s forces to retreat.

Although India wins the battle, many soldiers have died. The film ends with Kuldip walking through the battlefield while Indian forces begin their counter-offensive, and news of the soldiers’ deaths reaches their grieving families.

Cast

• Sunny Deol as Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, MVC, VSM
• Jackie Shroff as Wing Commander Anand "Andy" Bajwa
• Suniel Shetty as Asstt. Comdt. Bhairon Singh (from BSF)
• Akshaye Khanna as 2nd Lt. Dharamvir Singh Bhan
• Rakhee Gulzar as Sujatha Devi, Dharamvir's mother
• Tabu as Preeti Kaur Chandpuri, Kuldeep's wife
• Pooja Bhatt as Kamla Sodhi, Dharamvir's fiancée
• Puneet Issar as Subedar Ratan Singh
• Sudesh Berry as Naib Subedar Mathura Das
• Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Cook Havildar Bhagiram
• Sharbani Mukherjee as Phool Kanwar, Bhairon's wife
• Amrit Pal as Kamalnath Sodhi
• Hemant Choudhary as P.D. Somesh Uttam
• Sanjeev Dabholkar as a Pakistani soldier
• Sapna Bedi as Roopali

Production

Casting

Sanjay Dutt was first signed to play Wing Commander Andy Bajwa, but Jackie Shroff replaced him after Dutt went to jail. Juhi Chawla was offered the role that later went to Tabu, but she refused because it was too small. Manisha Koirala was signed for the same role but also left for the same reason.

For Akshaye Khanna’s role, many actors were approached, including Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Akshay Kumar. Salman said he wasn’t ready, Aamir was busy with Ishq, Saif and Akshay declined without giving reasons, and Ajay Devgn turned it down because he didn’t want to be in a multi-starrer. Suniel Shetty first refused the role but later agreed when asked again.

When Shetty refused the first time, Sanjay Kapoor and Armaan Kohli were considered for Bhairon Singh’s role. Aashif Sheikh was signed for the film but was later replaced by Sudesh Berry. Director J. P. Dutta originally wanted Sonali Bendre for Sapna Bedi’s role, but it didn’t work out.

Filming

The Indian Army and Air Force helped with the film by providing vehicles, rifles, machine guns, uniforms, and even using tactics from the real Battle of Longewala. T-55 tanks were modified to look like Pakistani Type-59s, and 1970s-era weapons like Bren guns, MMGs, RCLs, and SLRs were shown. The film also featured Hawker Hunter and MiG-21 planes.

Actors Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, and Jackie Shroff felt proud to be part of such a big war movie. Director Dutta said Border was like “fighting a war” for him, and it was shot in real desert locations in Rajasthan. Scenes from Dharamvir’s backstory (Akshaye Khanna) were filmed in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand.

Soundtrack

The music of the film was composed by Anu Malik, and the lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar. Songs like "To Chalun," "Sandese Aate Hai," "Mere Dushman," and "Hamen Jab Se Mohabbat" became very popular. Even today, the songs are loved in both India and Pakistan. Javed Akhtar won the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist, while Anu Malik was nominated for Best Music Director. According to Box Office India, with about 45 lakh copies sold, the soundtrack was the fourth best-selling album of the year.

Soundtrack Listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Singer(s)	Length
1	"Sandese Aate Hai"	Javed Akhtar	Anu Malik	Sonu Nigam, Roop Kumar Rathod, Vinod Rathod, Sudesh Bhosle	10:22
2	"Mere Dushman"	Javed Akhtar	Anu Malik	Hariharan, Aadesh Shrivastava	09:36
Total length:					19:58

Release

Border was released in India on 13 June 1997 and became one of the biggest box office hits of the year.

Sequel

On 13 June 2024, it was announced that Sunny Deol would return as the main lead in the sequel, titled Border 2. The film is directed by Anurag Singh, known for Kesari (2019), and is scheduled to release on 23 January 2026 during the Republic Day weekend. Later, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Ahan Shetty also joined the cast.

External links

• IMDb