Border 2 Review: Diving deep into the ‘heart’ of war

Border 2, Bollywood’s big Republic Day release, is a film that comes with an immense nostalgia quotient, arriving in theatres three weeks after Ikkis, based on the life of Arun Khetarpal, India’s youngest Param Vir Chakra (India’s highest military decoration) honoree. While two successive war films in such a short span would be considered as an overkill under normal circumstances, the emotions around Border 2 do not lead to any such fatigue. The 1997 film made us cry in the theaters with ‘Sandese Aate Hain’ being an emotion till date. Filmmaker J.P. Dutta’s depiction of brotherhood in the Indian Army in Border is still hailed as one of the best. After the bumper success of Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2, makers were quick to capitalize on his eternal rugged patriotism-oozing man-at-war appeal. While Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis is more about the cost of war, Border 2 stays true to its 1997 predecessor, packing in emotions, action and drama in a multi-starrer that runs over three hours. While Border (1997) was a fictionalized account of the valor of Indian Army at the Longewala military post of Rajasthan during the 1971 War, Border 2 has a more ambitious canvas.

Like the first movie, Anurag Singh’s movie is also set during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty play characters inspired by real Indian war heroes who defended the nation during Operation Chengiz Khan. It was the code-name for Pakistan Air Force’s strikes on 11 airbases in India, which was successfully neutralized by Indian military.

Writers Nidhi Dutta, Anurag Singh and Sumit Arora capture the Battle of Basantar, Battle of Munawar Tawi and the marine war in the Arabian Sea in a fast-paced narrative. This film, like Border, is set during the East Pakistan conflict but Border 2 is different from more ways than one.

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Anurag Singh, who is the main screenwriter (Arora being the other) builds Border 2 as a tale of three friends who belong to all three pillars of Indian military — Army, Navy and Air Force. It traces their bond from the academy to their unparalleled valour and sacrifice for the nation. The screenplay goes back and forth giving us glimpses of their personal lives. We feel a gamut of emotions seeing how soldiers and their families live on, despite knowing the unfortunate consequence of war. However, the detailing of the actual modus operandi during the war is not as impactful as Border. The part involving Varun Dhawan and his regiment is gripping, but the rest is ho-hum.

Sunny Deol who played Major Kuldeep Chandpuri in the original movie plays Lieutenant Colonel Fateh Singh Kaler (loosely based on actual war hero Major General Hardev Singh Kler — one of the heroes of the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971). The actor shows us why the Border franchise is soulless without him. As an army man battling the anguish of losing his young son to war while preparing young recruits at the academy, he is first-rate. He adds gravitas to his stoic character letting his eyes do the talking.

Varun slips into the role of Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya with utmost sincerity. He gets the Jat accent right on most occasions and packs in the right amount of intensity, whether it is in sparring scenes with Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon (Diljit Dosanjh) or in the climactic battle scenes. On the other hand, Diljit plays to the gallery as NJS Sekhon, the IAF braveheart who defended the Srinagar airbase. He is charismatic, bubbly and makes us chuckle wholeheartdly. Shetty is sincere though he needs to put in substantial effort to better his acting chops.

An exceptional Mona Singh, who plays Simi Kaler (Fateh’s wife) nails all the emotional scenes with a restraint that makes it more heartbreaking. Medha Rana, Anya Singh and Sonam Bajwa bring in the romance. Writers Nidhi Dutta, Anurag Singh and Sumit Arora devote sufficient time building the personal arcs of the main characters, which solidifies Border’s 2 emotional core. Cinematographer Anshul Chobey has done a good job filming the snowcapped mountains, arid lands where most of the action takes place. The filming of aerial and marine warfare could have been better. Even the infantry war scenes could have done with better choreography. What works is the minimum use of studio VFX.

The reimagined version of ‘Ghar Kab Aaoge’ comes at a crucial juncture reviving the nostalgia of the 1997 movie. Filmmaker Anurag Singh fills Border 2 with moments that will linger on for days. The first half is delightful with the bonhomie between the three new leads. While Border 2 is a war film, it is not divisive. It has some jingoism but it does not overshadow the film. It keeps alive that sense of humanity, which millions associate with the Indian Armed Forces.