Why JP Dutta's Border still remains the Bible of war films in India!

Border set the template for what a great Hindi war film should have - massive scale, great music, stellar ensemble and most importantly, honoring the human cost of war!

A sandy battle-field, loaded rifles, tanks rumbling on the dunes and some uniform-clad heroes passionately shouting slogans - this scene has become a staple every Friday on the big screen these days. These are all celebrations of bravery and tales of incredible courage that nations are built upon, regardless of whether you align with the film’s underlying politics or not. But amid the avalanche of patriotic blockbusters, some films stay in your heart years after their release - the stories that balance the fire of duty and sacrifice with profound humanity. They honour our men and women in uniform with cinematic grandeur, yet don't shy away from stressing on the futility of war, and even carry the grace of extending quiet moments of respect to the enemy. India is a land that has long taken pride in its big heart and humanity and we love it when that sentiment is echoed even in films chronicling some of our most remarkable military victories. One such film that stands tall in this list is J.P. Dutta's 1997 epic, Border, based on the real-life Battle of Longewala during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. 

As an army kid who grew up on stories of those hard-earned olive greens, the discipline on the parade grounds, the banters beyond it and the unspoken weight of deployments, Border hits home for me as it captures the emotional core of it all like no other Hindi war film. It portrays soldiers not just as warriors, but as sons, husbands, and fathers who laugh, cry, and miss their families while still instilling pride and showing them as brave defenders against overwhelming odds in the Battle of Longewala - the kind of balance you could totally trust an army brat like Dutta to get right! 

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Border follows a small contingent of Indian soldiers holding off a massive Pakistani armored assault in the Rajasthan desert. However, director Dutta injects the film with the kind of authenticity that goes beyond explosions and gunfire. The soldiers are shown as flesh-and-blood men with certain vulnerabilities, families, and dreams. We have Captain Bhairon Singh (Suniel Shetty), a patriotic BSF officer who learns that his wife is expecting their child, yet chooses to stay and fight, highlighting his vulnerability and sacrifice;Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri (Sunny Deol), the commanding officer, who strains his marriage after his wife pulls strings to get him transferred to a safer post, revealing domestic pressures and personal cost of his dedication to duty; Naib Subedar Mathura Das(Sudesh Berry), who is granted leave because of his wife's terminal illness and yet returns to the battle fray choosing national duties over familial. These backstories told with utmost respect and nuance underscore the tales of silent sacrifices that soldiers and their families endure in the name of duty, and the defense of the nation, most of which go unacknowledged! 

And to top it all, there was the iconic ‘Sandese Aate Hain’ that beautifully encapsulates the collective longing of the soldiers. The gorgeous melody features them receiving letters from their homes, bringing great comfort in the harsh terrains of deserts, wherein the lyrics of the song, convey the ache of separation, the wait for a posting to end and the pride mixed with quiet dread of uncertainities that a war deployment brings! It didn't just romanticize the uniform; it also humanized it!

At the risk of being in the minority, I'd still argue that a good war film is, at its core, an anti-war film. And that’s what draws me the most to Border. The last 10 minutes of the movie, with ‘Mere dushman, mere bhai’ hits you right in the gut for its powerful anti-war message while lamenting the shared devastation on both sides - burned fields, grief-stricken families and hungry children, highlighting the futility of the war and the poison of hatred. Addressing the enemy as ‘mere bhai’ (my brother), the lyrics ask important questions to the establishments and hope there are no wars in the future. While praying for blooming gardens on both lands, the film endorses the idea that real courage includes yearning for peace and in looking at events through a human lens - an idea that feels painfully rare these days!

Border 2has massive shoes to fill after the legendary original. Here's hoping it truly lives up to the scale, music and core themes with the same sincerity and heart, without compromising on the ethos that made the JP Dutta directorial so iconic! 

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