Border (film)
Encyclopedia
Border is a 1997 blockbuster
Blockbuster (entertainment)
Blockbuster, as applied to film or theatre, denotes a very popular or successful production. The entertainment industry use was originally theatrical slang referring to a particularly successful play but is now used primarily by the film industry...

 Bollywood
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...

 war film
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...

 based on the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...

. J. P. Dutta
J. P. Dutta
Jyoti Prakash Dutta is an Indian Bollywood film producer and director. Mr. Dutta produces his films under the banner of JP Films. He is known for directing many patriotic war films and films in the action genre...

 directed and produced this war epic which stars Sunny Deol
Sunny Deol
Sunny Deol often credited as "Action King of Bollywood" is an Indian film actor, producer and director. Deol was born to Bollywood actor Dharmendra. He has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He went to England to study acting...

, Sunil Shetty, Akshay Khanna, Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...

, Tabu
Tabu (actress)
Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...

, Pooja Bhatt
Pooja Bhatt
Pooja Bhatt is an Indian film actress and model, currently devoting time to film production and direction. She is the daughter of Indian film director Mahesh Bhatt.-Early life:...

, Puneet Issar
Puneet Issar
Puneet Issar is an Indian actor and director, most famous for his role as Duryodhana in the TV adaptation of the Mahabharata, and directing Garv: Pride and Honour starring Salman Khan. His other notable roles are in Border, 1997 war film, directed by J. P...

, Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kulbhushan Kharbanda is an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi and Punjabi films, and is known as character Shakaal in Shaan inspired by the character of Blofeld from James Bond movies...

, Raakhee and Sharbani Mukherjee
Sharbani Mukherjee
Sharbani Mukherji is an Indian actress working in Bollywood.-Biography:She is the daughter of Rono Mukerji. Her paternal uncles are Joy Mukerji and Deb Mukerji. Her paternal grandfather, Sashadhar Mukerji, was a filmmaker. His wife Satirani Devi was the sister of Ashok Kumar, Anoop Kumar and...

.

Director J.P. Dutta won Best Director at the same award function, while his father O.P. Dutta won for Best Dialogues.

The movie is an adaptation from real life events that happened at the Battle of Longewala
Battle of Longewala
The Battle of Longewala was one of the first major engagements in the Western Sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistani forces and Indian defenders at the Indian border post of Longewala, in the Thar Desert of the Rajasthan state in India.The Indian infantry...

 fought in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

 (Western Theatre) during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...

 and Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....

. It is about how a band of 120 soldiers of the Punjab regiment of the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...

 headed by Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri is an Indian Army officer known for his heroic leadership in the famous Battle of Longewala. for which he was awarded Maha Vir Chakra by the Indian Army.Border, a 1997 Bollywood film directed by J.P.Dutta...

 successfully defended their post all night against a whole Tank regiment of the Pakistani Army, until assistance came from the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...

 the next morning. The film was a critical and commercial hit in India.

Plot

The film opens before the actual declaration of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...

 as army Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

 Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri is an Indian Army officer known for his heroic leadership in the famous Battle of Longewala. for which he was awarded Maha Vir Chakra by the Indian Army.Border, a 1997 Bollywood film directed by J.P.Dutta...

 and airforce Wing Commander Anand 'Andy' Bajwa meet on a courier flight and speak about the possibility of opening of the Western front in light of the East Pakistan conflict. Kuldip takes up command of a Coy
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...

 of the 23rd Punjab Regiment
Punjab Regiment (India)
The Punjab Regiment of India was formed from the 2nd Punjab Regiment of theBritish Indian Army in 1947. It is one of the oldest regiments still in service in the Indian Army and has taken part in various battles and wars winning numerous honors for the same...

, arguing the light defense being assigned to the military post of Longewala. He meets his second in command Lt Dharamvir Bhan (who happens to be the son of a 1965 Indo-Pakistani-War veteran who was killed during that war) and the Coy NCO Subedar Mathura Das. The company moves to the remote outpost in the deserts of Rajasthan and begins to expand the rudimentary BSF post and does a recce of the area up to the international border with Pakistan. They meet the post's BSF commandant Bhairon Singh, a deeply patriotic man who expresses his love for the desert.

During a night patrol, Kuldip, Lt Dharamvir and Bhairon Singh come across a suspicious bunch of locals who turn out to be insurgents having informed the identities of the company to the Pakistani military. The trio get into a brief firefight killing all but one of the insurgents when Dharamvir hesitates to shoot one of the insurgents, as he had never killed anyone. Kuldip severely derides him and shoots the insurgent himself, prompting Dharamvir to vomit. A badly shaken Dharamvir is comforted by Bhairon Singh and the two reminisce about their personal lives. Dharamvir recounts how he met his fiancee Kamla, a lively young girl from his native village who he had fallen for and how he got his mobilization orders on the day of his engagement to Kamla. Bhairon Singh recounts his wedding night, his first night with his bride, when he was called back to post and how he bids a tearful goodbye to his beautiful wife Phool Kanwar.

The unit is joined by the charismatic Subedar Ratan Singh, a man of insatiable appetite and wit, with 2 106mm jeep-mounted RCL guns to serve as an anti-armour unit. The company wireless operator picks up a spy transmitting from a nearby area and Dharamvir sets out to investigate. He ambushes the spy and kills the man, bringing the body back to the post to prove that he has overcome his fear of killing another person. The unit settles down to wait for the enemy as they keep track of the developing events on the radio. The Indian army starts moving forces to nearby locations preparing to attack if Pakistan tries to open the Western front and this gives hope of soon-to-come action for the men tired of the long wait in the hot and desolate desert. Subedar Mathura Das is granted leave to attend to his wife (who is ailing with cancer) and children. The men receive letters with news from back home and talk among of themselves of the people they left back home to serve their country.

On the evening of 3 December 1971, the unit receives word that the enemy has attacked with Pakistan Air Force planes bombing multiple Indian airbases and that war has been officially declared by the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...

. Dharamvir and five of his soldiers are sent to patrol the border within a section while Bhairon Singh and his men are assigned to clear out the nearby villages. As Bhairon Singh is briefing the villagers on evacuation, Pakistani artillery batteries start shelling Indian positions and villages. Kuldip joins in the evacuation as heavy shelling occurs leveling a whole village. In the meanwhile Dharamvir and his patrol spot Pakistani tanks and infantry crossing the border into India. He reports back the enemy movement to Kuldip and is ordered to secretly follow the tanks without engaging them. Kuldip radios for air support and speaks to Wing Com Bajwa, who tells him that there can be no air support as his base has only Hunter-Fighters, which cannot fly at night. In despair, Kuldip radios his CO and explains his untenable position. He is given the option of either holding his post or retreat, he decides to stay and so does his entire company.

As the unit digs in to face the enemy assault, Mathura returns and apologizes for deserting the men of his company. Kuldip thanks him for returning in time and assigns him to the RCL units, promising Mathura that he will return to his family when the war is over. The post is surrounded by massed enemy armour and infantry while the shelling from across the border continues relentlessly. Fortunately, Kuldip manages to get the company to bury anti-tank mines around the post to prevent the tanks from barging in. Upon seeing one of his tanks being blown by one of the mines, the Pakistani commander Ghulam Dastagir hurls expletives at Kuldip addressing him by name and tells him to retreat or die. Kuldip lashes back and swears and insults Dastagir, addressing him by name and insulting him. The tanks open fire on the post and the battle begins with Kuldip ordering Mathura to destroy some more tanks. Though the tide of the battle is turning good for the Indians at first, it wasn't until Mathura's RCL is hit by a tank shell, wounding him and prompting Bhairon Singh to extract him from the burning jeep. Mathura is fatally wounded when he goes to extract a recoil spring for Bhairon Singh's MMG and dies in Bhairon's arms. Subedar sacrifices himself to throw away an exploding tank shell to prevent several of his men from being killed. Another tank targets Bhairon's machine gun nest and destroys it, wounding Bhairon. He charges the same tank and destroys it with an anti-tank mine, killing himself and the Pakistani soldiers inside the tank. Dharamvir breaks through the enemy cordon and returns to post, but his entire patrol is wiped out in the process. The Pakistani commander orders a bayonet charge on the Indian position but the attack is beaten back by the Indians with Dharamvir being severely wounded. The Indians capture a Pakistani private who reveals that the Pakistani column plans to capture Jaiselmer by morning, Jodhpur by afternoon, and reach Delhi by night.

As dawn nears, the Pakistanis launch a last ditch attempt to overrun Longewala post with their massed assault of tanks and infantry, ignoring the danger of the anti-tank mines that are still buried. Kuldip gathers the remaining of his depleted force and prepares for a suicide counter-attack on the advancing enemy. The Indians engage in vicious hand-to-hand fighting with Kuldip jumping from tank to tank lobbing grenades down the turret hatches. Dawn has broken as the fight heats up and Bawa's squadron finally takes off from the Jaisalmer Base to aid Kudip's besieged coy. During the fight, Kuldip falls on the ground into the sights of a Pakistani tank but before the tank can open fire to kill him, it is destroyed by cannon fire from an Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...

 jet as Bajwa's squadron arrives and the tide of the battle turns. The Pakistani attack breaks as tank after tank is hit by the planes till they decide to beat a retreat back across the border. The battle ends as a soldier tries to tell Dharamvir about the victory and realises that he has died. The unit is relieved as Indian tanks and artillery arrive and more air-strikes beat back enemy reinforcements. The end credits roll as the Indians launch their counter-offensive and news of the deceased reach their homes, much to their families' discomfort.

Cast

  • Sunny Deol
    Sunny Deol
    Sunny Deol often credited as "Action King of Bollywood" is an Indian film actor, producer and director. Deol was born to Bollywood actor Dharmendra. He has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He went to England to study acting...

     as Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
    Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
    Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri is an Indian Army officer known for his heroic leadership in the famous Battle of Longewala. for which he was awarded Maha Vir Chakra by the Indian Army.Border, a 1997 Bollywood film directed by J.P.Dutta...

  • Jackie Shroff
    Jackie Shroff
    Jackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...

     as Wing Commander Andy Bajwa
  • Suniel Shetty
    Suniel Shetty
    Sunil Shetty is an Indian film actor, producer, hotelier and liquor and fashion boutique owner. He is mainly active in Bollywood.-Career:Shetty made his acting debut in the 1992.His film Balwaan which was a moderate success. He gave 2 hit films in 1993 Pehchaan and Waqt Hamara Hai. His first...

     as Captain Bhairon Singh, B.S.F.
  • Akshaye Khanna
    Akshaye Khanna
    Akshaye Khanna is a critically acclaimed Indian film actor who works in Hindi cinema. Known for his impeccable acting talent and flawless diction, Khanna has worked with the best names in Indian cinema.- Background :...

     as 2nd Lt. Dharamvir
  • Puneet Issar
    Puneet Issar
    Puneet Issar is an Indian actor and director, most famous for his role as Duryodhana in the TV adaptation of the Mahabharata, and directing Garv: Pride and Honour starring Salman Khan. His other notable roles are in Border, 1997 war film, directed by J. P...

     as Subedar Ratan Singh
  • Sudesh Berry
    Sudesh Berry
    Sudesh Berry is a well known television and Bollywood actor.Sudesh made his debut in 1988 with Khatron Ke Khiladi. He played the lead roles in Vansh and Yudhpath but these movies proved to be big flops...

     as Subedar Mathura Das
  • Kulbhushan Kharbanda
    Kulbhushan Kharbanda
    Kulbhushan Kharbanda is an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi and Punjabi films, and is known as character Shakaal in Shaan inspired by the character of Blofeld from James Bond movies...

     as Phagheeram, the cook
  • Tabu
    Tabu (actress)
    Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...

     as Kuldip Singh's wife
  • Pooja Bhatt
    Pooja Bhatt
    Pooja Bhatt is an Indian film actress and model, currently devoting time to film production and direction. She is the daughter of Indian film director Mahesh Bhatt.-Early life:...

     as Kamla (Dharamvir's fiancee)
  • Rakhi as Dharamvir's mother
  • Sharbani Mukherjee
    Sharbani Mukherjee
    Sharbani Mukherji is an Indian actress working in Bollywood.-Biography:She is the daughter of Rono Mukerji. Her paternal uncles are Joy Mukerji and Deb Mukerji. Her paternal grandfather, Sashadhar Mukerji, was a filmmaker. His wife Satirani Devi was the sister of Ashok Kumar, Anoop Kumar and...

     as Bhairon Singh's wife

Awards

  • Winner: Filmfare Award for Best Director: J.P. Dutta
  • Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Film: Border
    Border
    Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...

  • Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Music Director: Anu Malik
    Anu Malik
    Anu Malik , born Anwar Sardaar Malik, is a famous music director in the Hindi film industry. Son of veteran music director Sardar Malek, Anu Malik made his debut as a music composer in the year 1977. After a considerable period of struggle, the 90's welcomed Anu with hits like 'Phir Teri Kahani...

  • Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actor: Sunny Deol
    Sunny Deol
    Sunny Deol often credited as "Action King of Bollywood" is an Indian film actor, producer and director. Deol was born to Bollywood actor Dharmendra. He has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He went to England to study acting...

  • Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actor in Supporting Role: Akshay Khanna
  • Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actor in Supporting Role: Suniel Shetty
    Suniel Shetty
    Sunil Shetty is an Indian film actor, producer, hotelier and liquor and fashion boutique owner. He is mainly active in Bollywood.-Career:Shetty made his acting debut in the 1992.His film Balwaan which was a moderate success. He gave 2 hit films in 1993 Pehchaan and Waqt Hamara Hai. His first...

  • Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best playback singer: Sonu Nigam
    Sonu Nigam
    Sonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films...

     and Roop Kumar Rathod
    Roop Kumar Rathod
    -Personal life:Roopkumar is the son of the late Pandit Chaturbhuj Rathod, the classical luminary – an exponent of the rare and arguably the oldest style of singing i.e. Dhrupad. He belonged to the “Aditya Gharana of Jamnagar”. Pandit Rathod has trained and groomed many well known names like...


Soundtrack

The music is composed by Anu Malik
Anu Malik
Anu Malik , born Anwar Sardaar Malik, is a famous music director in the Hindi film industry. Son of veteran music director Sardar Malek, Anu Malik made his debut as a music composer in the year 1977. After a considerable period of struggle, the 90's welcomed Anu with hits like 'Phir Teri Kahani...

 while the lyrics are penned by Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter from India. Some of his most successful work was done in the late 1970s and 1980s with Salim Khan as half of the script-writing duo credited as Salim-Javed...

. The songs of the film are not only popular in India but also in Pakistan.

Track listing

Contradictary views

In 2001, Former Air Marshal M. S. Bawa, the then Base Commander of Jaisalmer, whose role Jackie Shroff played in the movie, said, “Border was a complete distortion of history. The Army did not even fire one bullet. The thrust of the Pakistani armour was blunted entirely by air attack.”

See also

  • Battle of Longewala
    Battle of Longewala
    The Battle of Longewala was one of the first major engagements in the Western Sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistani forces and Indian defenders at the Indian border post of Longewala, in the Thar Desert of the Rajasthan state in India.The Indian infantry...

     fought in Rajasthan (Western Theatre) during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
    Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
    The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...

  • Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
    Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
    Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri is an Indian Army officer known for his heroic leadership in the famous Battle of Longewala. for which he was awarded Maha Vir Chakra by the Indian Army.Border, a 1997 Bollywood film directed by J.P.Dutta...

    , Major (later Brigadier) of Punjab Regiment
    Punjab Regiment (India)
    The Punjab Regiment of India was formed from the 2nd Punjab Regiment of theBritish Indian Army in 1947. It is one of the oldest regiments still in service in the Indian Army and has taken part in various battles and wars winning numerous honors for the same...

     who won the Maha Vir Chakra
    Maha Vir Chakra
    The Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest military decoration in India and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It may be awarded posthumously. Literally Maha Veer means extraordinarily brave.-Appearance:The medal is made...

     for bravery in the Battle of Longewala
    Battle of Longewala
    The Battle of Longewala was one of the first major engagements in the Western Sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistani forces and Indian defenders at the Indian border post of Longewala, in the Thar Desert of the Rajasthan state in India.The Indian infantry...

     and whose role has been played by Sunny Deol
    Sunny Deol
    Sunny Deol often credited as "Action King of Bollywood" is an Indian film actor, producer and director. Deol was born to Bollywood actor Dharmendra. He has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He went to England to study acting...

     in this movie.
  • 1971 Bangladesh atrocities
    1971 Bangladesh atrocities
    Beginning with the start of Operation Searchlight on 25 March 1971 and continuing throughout the Bangladesh Liberation War, there were widespread violations of human rights in East Pakistan perpetrated by the Pakistan Army, with support from local political and religious militias, especially...

     and Bangladesh Liberation War
    Bangladesh Liberation War
    The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....

    , which led to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
    Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
    The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...

  • LOC Kargil
    LOC Kargil
    LOC Kargil is a 2003 Bollywood war film based on the Kargil War, directed and written by J. P. Dutta. The film stars a large number of Bollywood stars.- Plot :The film is an attempt to dramatize a synopsis of the 1999 Kargil War ....

    , a 2003 Bollywood
    Cinema of India
    The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...

     war film
    War film
    War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...

     based on "Kargil War
    Kargil War
    The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...

    " or the "Indo-Pakistani War of 1999", also directed by J.P.Dutta
  • The Uphaar Cinema fire
    Uphaar cinema fire
    The Uphaar Cinema fire, one of the worst fire tragedies in recent Indian history, occurred on Friday, June 13, 1997 at Uphaar Cinema, Green Park, Delhi, during the premiere screening of Border, a patriotic Hindi movie...


External links

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