Border was Dutta's dream project. He had begun working on the film's script in September 1995 and completed it by April 1996. The film was mostly shot in Bikaner, Rajasthan.[4] Some parts were also filmed in Jodhpur.[5] One of the film's songs, "Sandese Aate Hai", sung by Sonu Nigam and Roop Kumar Rathod, became one of the most popular Hindi songs. The popularity of the song led several directors to offer Nigam for singing in their film's songs. Javed Akhtar wrote the lyrics of the songs while Anu Malik composed them. The song "Mere Dushman Mere Bhai" was sung by Hariharan.[6]
The film was released worldwide on 13 June 1997 with overwhelming positive reviews from critics and garnered critical acclaim for its story, execution, scale, showing off the battle, direction, screenplay, performances and soundtrack. It was declared an All Time Blockbuster by Box Office India. It also became the highest-grossing Hindi film of 1997 in India. Border was the fourth biggest blockbuster Indian film of the 90s decade in respective to footfalls.[7]
Regimental Insignia of the Punjab RegimentLongewala War Memorial A destroyed Pakistani T-59 Tank in the Battlefield of LongewalaWar Museum Longewala
The film opens just before the declaration of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. At a forward operating airbase (FOA), Indian Air ForceWing Commander Andy Bajwa and his wingmen take off for an undisclosed airbase in Rajasthan. Upon arrival, Bajwa is briefed by his superiors that he and his 122 Squadron have been assigned to the Jaisalmer sector to fly Hawker HunterGround attack missions in support of the Army.
He is soon joined by his brother-in-arms, Indian ArmyMajorKuldip Singh Chandpuri, who has recently bid a short farewell to his wife, Preeti, with a promise of a swift return. They meet during a military courier flight and discuss the possibility of Pakistan opening a Western front in light of the East Pakistan conflict.
Kuldip assumes command of Alpha Company (composed of 120 soldiers), of the 23rd Battalion, Punjab Regiment. He expresses concern over the light defence being assigned to the Longewala military post. He meets his second-in-command, 2nd Lieutenant Dharamvir Singh Bhakhri, son of a 1965 Indo-Pakistani War veteran who was killed in action, and the company's JCO Naib Subedar Mathura Das. Das is desperate for leave during the emergency period as his wife is suffering from cancer and there is no one to care for her and their children.
The company moves to a remote outpost in the Rajasthan desert and takes over a rudimentary BSF post, conducting surveillance up to the international border with Pakistan. They meet Assistant Commandant Bhairon Singh Rathore, captain of a company belonging to the 14th BSF Battalion — a deeply patriotic man who expresses his love for the desert. They are later joined by the charismatic JCO Subedar Ratan Singh, who brings two 105 mm Jonga-mounted RCL guns to serve as the anti-armour unit. Kuldip, Bhairon, Dharamvir and Ratan visit and inspect the border checkpost the next day.
During a night patrol, Kuldip, Bhairon, and Dharamvir encounter a group of suspicious locals who turn out to be insurgents working with the Pakistani military. Kuldip and Bhairon eliminate all but one, but Dharamvir hesitates to shoot the last man, as he has never killed anyone before. Kuldip reprimands him and shoots the insurgent himself, causing Dharamvir to vomit. Mathura Das later mocks him for his hesitation. Bhairon offers comfort, and the two bond over stories of their personal lives. Dharamvir shares how he met his fiancée, Kamla, a lively girl from his village, and how he received his mobilisation orders on the day of their engagement. Bhairon reminisces about his wedding night with his bride Phool Kanwar, and how he was recalled to duty shortly after. One day, the company's wireless operator intercepts a spy's transmission from a nearby area. Dharamvir volunteers to investigate, successfully ambushes and kills the spy, and brings back the body — demonstrating that he has overcome his fear of combat.
The unit waits for the Pakistani military's move, following radio updates. The Indian Army begins moving forces into nearby areas in preparation for an expected Pakistani offensive. This gives hope to the soldiers, who are weary from the long wait in the harsh desert. Letters from home lift their spirits, and Das is granted leave to tend to his ailing wife and children. However, before he leaves, Kuldip harshly rebukes him for abandoning his comrades during wartime.
On the evening of 3 December 1971, the unit receives word that the Pakistan Air Force has bombed multiple Indian airbases and that war has been officially declared by Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi. Kuldip sends Dharamvir and five soldiers to patrol a border section and assigns Bhairon to evacuate nearby villages to prevent civilian casualties.
The next day, Pakistani artillery begins shelling the post and a nearby village. Kuldip joins in the evacuation efforts as the shelling intensifies. Meanwhile, Dharamvir and his patrol spot a regiment of Pakistani tanks (Type 59 and Sherman) and infantry — led by commanding officer Ghulam Dastagir — crossing into India. Dharamvir reports back to Kuldip. Realizing the shelling was a diversion to cover the invasion, Kuldip orders Dharamvir to stealthily follow the tanks without engaging.
Eventually, Das returns and apologises for leaving. He promises to stay with his unit until the war ends. Kuldip accepts the apology and assigns him to one of the anti-tank Jongas.
Kuldip radios for air support and speaks to Bajwa, who informs him that the base has only Hawker Hunter aircraft, which cannot conduct night missions. Bajwa expresses regret and urges Kuldip to hold the post as long as possible, promising air support at first light. Next, Kuldip radios his commanding officer, explaining the dire situation. The CO advises him to retreat but grants Kuldip full authority to decide whether to hold or abandon the post. Kuldip chooses to stand and gives his men the option to leave. They all decide to stay and face the Pakistani assault together.
As Dastagir's forces close in on Longewala, one of the Pakistani tanks hits an anti-tank mine buried earlier by Kuldip's men. Dastagir orders an all-out tank assault. Kuldip responds by ordering Das to destroy enemy tanks with his Jonga-mounted RCL guns. Initially, the tide turns in India's favour, but Das's jeep is hit by a shell, wounding him. Bhairon extracts him from the burning vehicle. Das is fatally wounded while retrieving a recoil spring for Bhairon's MMG and dies in his arms. As casualties were mounting, the company cook, Havildar Bhagiram, also enters the fray.
When an exploding tank shell lands perilously close to his unit, Ratan immediately lunges for the shell and throws it away, sacrificing his own life in the resulting explosion but saving the lives of several comrades. Another tank targets Bhairon's machine gun nest and destroys it, wounding him. With his remaining strength, Bhairon charges the tank and destroys it using an anti-tank mine, killing himself and the Pakistani army's second-in-command. Dharamvir breaks through the enemy cordon and returns to the post, but his entire patrol is lost. Dastagir orders a bayonet charge, but the Indians repel it in brutal hand-to-hand stabbing combat. Dharamvir is gunned down during the melee.
Kuldip captures a dying Pakistani soldier who reveals Dastagir's plan to seize Jaisalmer by morning, Jodhpur by afternoon, and reach Delhi by night — aiming to bring India under Pakistani control.
As dawn approaches, Dastagir orders a final, desperate assault on Longewala with tanks and infantry, ignoring the threat of mines. Despite his depleted state, Kuldip arms himself with an Anti-TankRocket Launcher, grenades and a pistol, and rallies his remaining men for a decisive counterattack. He kills Dastagir and, with his remaining men, successfully destroys several tanks and eliminates a large number of enemy soldiers. As the sun rises, Bajwa and his squadron launch air strikes, destroying more tanks and forcing the remaining Pakistani troops to retreat across the border. India emerges victorious.
Though the battle is won, Kuldip and his men are heartbroken by the heavy losses on both sides. Reinforcements arrive, and the Indian Army prepares a counter-offensive.
The film ends with Kuldip inspecting the battlefield, surrounded by the wreckage of war, as news of the fallen soldiers reaches their families — bringing both pride and sorrow.
Sunny Deol was the first one to be signed to play the role of the war hero Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri.[11][12]
Sanjay Dutt was then signed to play the role of Wing Commander Andy Bajwa (character based on Wing Commander M. S. Bawa),[14] but had to be replaced by Jackie Shroff, due to the former's jail sentence.
Sunil Shetty declined the first time he received the offer, but he agreed to play the role when approached again. Sanjay Kapoor and Armaan Kohli were approached for the role of Assistant Commandant Bhairon Singh (character based on BSF Lance Naik Bhairon Singh)[15] when Shetty declined the role the first time.
Ajay Devgn, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan were all approached for the role of 2nd Lieutenant Dharamvir Singh Bhakhri.[17] However, Salman Khan declined, saying he wasn't ready for the film; Aamir Khan was too busy with Ishq; Ajay Devgn declined because he didn't want to be featured in a multi-starrer; and Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan declined for unknown reasons. Finally, Akshaye Khanna was signed for the role.
Puneet Issar was selected for the role of Subedar Ratan Singh, based on his striking resemblance to the real life Vir Chakra awardee war hero.[16]
The role of Naib Subedar Mathura Das (character based on Sepoy Mathura Das)[13] was initially considered for Aashif Sheikh, but was finally offered to Sudesh Berry.
Kulbhushan Kharbanda was chosen to play the role of Havildar Bhagiram (character based on Sepoy Bhagiram),[13] who is also the company cook.
Juhi Chawla was offered Tabu's role, but declined it as she did not want to play a minor role. Manisha Koirala was signed for the same role, but later opted out for the same reason.
J. P. Dutta originally wanted Sonali Bendre for Sapna Bedi's role, but things couldn't work out at that time.
Filming
Jonga, mounted with 105 mm RCL gun, which destroyed several tanks
During production and filming, both the Indian Army and Air Force provided vehicles, grenades, rifles, machine guns and a man-portable anti-tank system, as well as uniforms and tactics used by the Pakistani Army during the Battle of Longewala. T-55 tanks resembling Chinese origin Pakistani Type-59s, weapons of the 70's era like MMGs, LMGs, RCLs, SLRs, L16 81mm mortars and Browning Hi-Power Pistols as well as Air Force Planes like Hawker Hunters and MiG-21s were shown. The Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher used by Sunny Deol during the iconic end scenes of the movie was the Carl-Gustaf M2. All the actors, especially Sunny Deol, Sunil Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, and Jackie Shroff, were extremely nostalgic and felt elated and honoured to be a part of such an epic war movie. After the filming, director Dutta said, "Border has a gigantic canvas on which I have tried to bring some real-life characters alive. It was shot in actual locations in the deserts of Rajasthan. For me, Border was like fighting a war."[18]
The background portions of Dharamvir's character, portrayed by Akshaye Khanna, were filmed in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand.
Music and soundtrack
Battle of Longewala: Quote by Indian Army
The background score of the film was done by Aadesh Shrivastava. The music for the film's songs was composed by Anu Malik.
The lyrics of the songs were penned by Javed Akhtar.
Songs like "Sandese Aate Hai", "To Chalun", "Hindustan Hindustan", "Mere Dushman" and "Hamen Jab Se Mohabbat" became memorable.[19] To this day, the songs of the film are not only popular in India, but also in Pakistan.[20]
Javed Akhtar won Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist, while Anu Malik was nominated for the Filmfare award for his work in composing the music of this movie. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 45,00,000 units sold the soundtrack became the fourth highest-selling album of the year.[21]
Border exploded onto the scene when it was released worldwide on 13 June 1997. Critics were effusive, praising its story, massive scale, direction, screenplay, performances, and especially its powerful battle execution and soundtrack.[22] The film was an instant commercial juggernaut, opening to strong box office numbers. With a final domestic collection of ₹667 million, Box Office India declared it an All Time Blockbuster. It stood as the highest-grossing Hindi film of 1997 and was the fourth biggest Indian blockbuster of the entire '90s decade by footfalls.[7]
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