‘Border’: The Iconic War Film That Used Real Weapons and Locations:

Suspense crime, Digital Desk : Some of the notable films in Indian cinema which focus on the India-Pakistan war are Uri: The Surgical Strike, Lakshya and Shershaah. These movies, based on real life military operations, have gained popularity among audiences and moviegoers because they are highly emotional and stir up a sense of nationalism.

But one film that stands apart because of its incredible execution and realism is ‘Border’ (1997) , directed by JP Dutta.

‘Border’: Based on The Real Battle of Longewala

As the title suggests, ‘Border’ is inspired from the 1971 battle of Border which serves as one of the Indo-Pakistani War milestones and it also popularized the civil war of India. The uniqueness this film holds is how it was filmed, on original sets with real military vehicles, making the portrayal highly realistic for the time in Indian cinema.

The movie was produced during a a decade in which 10 crore rupees was a big budget, and it soon became a box office hit and ampained for Border as landmark of all war movies.

Real Soldiers and Weapons on Set

To ensure extrememly high levels of realism, the production crew got fake military equipment including guns and tanks. They also incorporated real people in the background, some soldiers/actors, as not mere background characters. Albeit certain cinematic twists were done for more exciting engagement of the audience, the level of realism in this movie unmatched.

Honoring a Personal Sacrifice: JP Dutta’s Loss

Film director JP Dutta has a family link to the armed forces which is two fold. His brother served as a pilot in the Indian Air Force and died due to a MIG fighter jet incident in 1987. Dutta had also based the film around his brother’s life. Dutta’s brother’s personal diaries served as the framework for the screenplay.

Acclaimed Actors And Casting Blunders
Alongside Dutta, the film also had some prominent actors and A-listers Border exhibited of its time, which included actors like Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna, Sunil Shetty, and Jackie Shroff. The first Dutta also pitched the idea of the film to Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, and Saif Ali Khan which all declined the role. The reasoning for this was that they were not interested in a multi-starrer movie.

The cast that was ultimately chosen performed to the best of their abilities which increased the movie’s popularity and praise.