Suniel Shetty, who played Bhairav Singh in JP Dutta’s iconic war film Border (1997), recently reflected on how the film continues to resonate with audiences. Speaking on Chanda Kochhar’s YouTube channel, Suniel shared that when he was initially approached for the role, he hesitated due to concerns about Dutta’s reputed temper. However, it was his mother-in-law who convinced him to take on the project.
“I had said no to JP sir when he narrated Border to me, even though I liked the script. Somebody told me he is hot-tempered and you won’t get along, so I said no. I don’t know what JP sir thought… but he needed me for that character, and he spoke to my mother-in-law, saying, ‘I need him for the film,’” Shetty revealed.
The film’s emotional impact was further cemented for Shetty when he visited Kargil during the 1999 war, just two years after Border’s release. He recalled a powerful moment when he met a young Sikh soldier who had lost an arm in combat.
“The Kargil war was going on, and I got information that the boys wanted to see me. The war was on, shelling was on, so I remember signing that form saying that I will be going at my own risk, and we were flown to Kargil. I went to the base camp, and there was shelling going on on top,” he recounted.
One soldier, barely 19 or 20 years old, was drowsy when Shetty saw him but suddenly woke up and began shouting Bhairav Singh’s war cry from Border. “I started howling,” Shetty recalled, overwhelmed by the moment.
Acknowledging the film’s impact, Shetty remarked, “If Suniel Shetty would stay in people’s minds, even long after I am gone also, it will be only because of Border.”
Now, 29 years after the original, Border 2 is in the making, with a star-studded cast featuring Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, and Diljit Dosanjh. Suniel Shetty’s son, Ahaan Shetty, is also set to be part of the much-anticipated war film.
