Despite Border 2 crossing Rs 400 crore at the box office, producer Nidhi Dutta says numbers were never the focus. She also reveals how real-life details, including Major Hoshiyar Singh’s refusal to wear a helmet, shaped storytelling
Varun Dhawan
Anurag Singh’s Border 2, which released in theatres on January 23, has emerged as one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. Bringing back Sunny Deol to the battlefield, the war drama opened to a terrific weekend and has since crossed the Rs 400 crore mark at the box office. But for producer and writer Nidhi Dutta, who is carrying forward the cinematic legacy of her father J.P. Dutta, numbers were never the driving force behind the film. “I have never spoken numbers. I have never said, ‘Oh, this is where I think we should do it — itna karegi, utna karegi,’” she says while talking to mid-day nearly two weeks after the film's release. “I’ve never learned that. My father’s never taught me that.”
She recalls how her father J.P. Dutta once made the four-hour-long LOC Kargil, despite knowing its length would cost it shows in theatres. “That’s never been our focus,” she indicates, underscoring that storytelling has always taken precedence over commercial calculations.
On the VFX Debate
While Border 2 has largely been appreciated post-release, the film faced chatter around its heavy use of VFX even before it hit screens.
Addressing the criticism, Dutta says the comparison with the 1997 classic is misplaced. “Everybody has been saying, ‘Border didn’t have VFX and this has too much VFX.’ But Border didn’t have the Navy. It’s not possible to go and blow up a ship in real time. So I could not have done that. I am thankful that we have VFX.”
The sequel expands the war canvas to include naval operations, something she says would have been impossible to execute authentically without modern technology. “I would not have even been able to imagine the Navy as part of this if it wasn’t for the technology that I have today to create that. For me, the VFX has been a plus point. It’s been able to bring the dream to reality,” she explains. “Otherwise, how do I tell you what happened in the middle of the ocean? To my sailors, to my captain, to that ship? How do I bring that emotion to the public if I can’t create it?”
Why Varun Dhawan’s character doesn’t wear a helmet
All characters in Border 2 are inspired by real-life heroes. Varun Dhawan essays the role of Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, who played a pivotal role in the 1971 war. One detail that stood out to many viewers was that Varun’s character is often seen without a helmet during combat sequences.
“If you see, in most of the action, Varun isn’t wearing a helmet. This is something we did knowingly because Hoshiar Singh refused to wear a helmet. His son - who is also a colonel in the army- told us this,” Dutta reveals.
“It’s a huge thing. The guy was standing in front of bullets and all the action taking place, and he didn’t wear a helmet. These details matter.”
On Varun Dhawan’s casting and ‘being chosen’
Before the film’s release, Varun Dhawan’s casting had drawn scepticism in certain quarters. But Dutta stands firmly by the choice. “I was in awe when I saw Varun perform. I was like, ‘Oh my God, he just stepped into the character like crazy.’”
She reveals that on the first day of shoot, her father wrote a letter to the actors- Varun, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty.
“He always says one thing, ‘You think you’re choosing, you think you’re casting, but you’re not. The heroes sitting up in heaven choose who gets into their footsteps, who’s going to be wearing their shoes and walking that path.’”
“So I think they were chosen,” she added. “When I saw Varun perform the way he did, I just knew there was nobody else. Even Diljit, even Ahan, they embodied those characters.”
Interestingly, when writing the script, she instinctively felt Ahan was meant to play a naval officer.
“When I wrote the story, I never thought of him in an army character. Somehow I knew the Navy had to be Ahan. There’s a certain body language naval officers have. If an army, navy and air force officer walk into a room, you’ll know where they are from, they’re completely different.”
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