New Delhi: Filmmaker Nidhi Dutta responded to the social media chatter around “her film working only because it cashed in on the emotional legacy of Border”, stating that everyone is entitled to their opinion. The producer-writer clarified that Border 2 (2026) was made to showcase the scale of the same war that was shown in Border (1997).
For the producer-writer, the success of Border 2 is justified, and she has finally taken a “sigh of relief.”
“I am extremely happy that the audience understood my intention behind this film. I am glad I was able to honour my father’s (JP Dutta) legacy. The goal was never to outdo or hamper his legacy. Just honour,” Dutta told ThePrint over a telephonic conversation.
Border 2, starring Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty, Sunny Deol, Diljit Dosanjh, among others, opened in theatres on 23 January. Within nine days of its release, the film has crossed the Rs 250 crore mark. So far, the film has collected Rs 252.75 crore in the Indian market.
Dutta says that her father, JP Dutta, who made the first Border, has been watching the box office numbers every day. But he remains unaffected.
“He is proud of the film. But, he isn’t affected by the business it does. Even the success of Border, which was unimaginable at that time, also never affected him,” said Dutta, who has been dubbed as “India’s Kathryn Bigelow’ by fans online.
Bigelow is an American filmmaker who is known for making action and intense war drama films. She has won two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
“I will take this compliment to my grave,” Dutta said, adding, “Dutta family, we don’t make hits or flops. We only make good films.”
Also Read: ‘My father JP Dutta teared up watching Border 2, it’s my National Award’: Nidhi Dutta
‘Martyrs of the same war’
For Dutta, the idea came to her when she was sitting alone in her living room, ready to take her IVF injection of the day. She immediately dedicated herself to making Border 2, to highlight the contribution of all three forces. She recalled that she had “dared to dream of making this project”, which makes the success of the film even sweeter.
“There is a logical reason behind everything, behind the title, the emotion, and even the decision to bring back the song ‘Sandese’,” Dutta said.
She explained that the film is titled Border 2, not simply because she had the name, but because it narrates the story of the “same three nights.”
Explaining the use of the song, ‘Sandese Aate Hai’, Dutta said that when the song was being sung at Longewala, as shown in her father’s film, it was simultaneously being sung at Basantar. She said that from Srinagar, where Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon (Diljit Dosanjh) was stationed, to the seas where the Navy ship was deployed, soldiers shared the same emotions of the song.
“It’s not like I am making a film on the Kargil war and then using ‘Sandese’,” she added.
Dutta also highlighted a key scene in which Major Hoshiyar Singh Dahiya (Varun Dhawan) learns about the deaths of Sekhon and his other friends through a radio broadcast. In the same announcement, the deaths of Dharamvir Bhakhri (Akshaye Khanna) and Bhairon Singh Rathore (Suniel Shetty) are also reported.
“It is meant to help the audience understand that everything is happening simultaneously. It is the same war,” she explained.
Even the closing tribute, which featured Shetty and Khanna, was included because they all represented martyrs of that same war.
That said, Dutta remains unfazed by social media chatter. She says she is content because for her, Border 2 stands as a history book in its own right.
“If a child does not read about the Battle of Basantar in school textbooks, they can watch my film and learn about Major Hoshiyar Singh Dahiya,” she said.
The success of Border 2, though, hasn’t slowed down Dutta. She is already working on three scripts with her “‘partner-in-wars’ T-Series”.
“There are a lot more stories of armed forces yet to be told. We are working on three scripts at the moment, and it will be announced sooner than you think,” she added.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)