Border 2 is the story of brave Indian armed forces. The year is 1971. A war-like situation has arisen between India and Pakistan. Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon (Diljit Dosanjh) of the Indian Air Force is getting married to Manjit (Sonam Bajwa) in his village in Punjab. His marriage is attended by his close friends, Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya (Varun Dhawan) of the Indian Army and Lt Cdr Mahendra S Rawat (Ahan Shetty) of the Indian Navy. The trio met in 1961 at the National War Academy and have been thick friends since then. During the marriage, the trio is informed that the matter has become serious at the border and that they need to report to duty immediately. Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya takes charge of his contingent in the Jammu sector. Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon (Diljit Dosanjh) returns to his base in Srinagar while Mahendra S Rawat boards a warship off the coast of Gujarat. Meanwhile, Lt Col Fateh Singh Kaler (Sunny Deol), who was the trio’s trainer in the National War Academy, is holding up in the Munawar Tawi region in Jammu. The challenges are immense in front of them. Much of the forces have been transported to East Pakistan. Hence, the Western border is being defended by a smaller number of armed forces. Meanwhile, the Pakistani army is all set to cross the border at Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir and create havoc. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Nidhi Dutta’s story is cinematic and informative. It informs viewers about brave episodes from the pages of the 1971 war that many might not know about. Sumit Arora and Anurag Singh’s screenplay is entertaining and, most importantly, easy to comprehend. The film is peppered not just with clapworthy moments but also scores on the emotional front. Sumit Arora and Anurag Singh’s dialogues are conversational, dramatic and also clapworthy in several scenes.
Anurag Singh’s direction is exceptional. BORDER’s [1997] biggest strength was that it appealed to a wide section of the moviegoers through its simple and hard-hitting storytelling. This is not an easy feat to achieve in today’s times; the biggest of directors have failed at this endeavour. But Anurag comes out with flying colours. The war portions don’t confuse viewers; instead, these scenes engage them thoroughly. Anurag also knows that the audience will expect some mass-appealing moments at regular intervals and even in this regard, he doesn’t fail. There are several such scenes in the film, but two sequences stand out. Firstly, the intermission point is fiery. Lastly, watch out for the last 15 minutes; it’s sure to create a frenzy. At the same time, BORDER 2 also scores in the emotional scenes. There’s also humour, particularly in the National War Academy scenes, and it’ll surely be lapped up. The romantic scenes are also sweet.
On the flipside, the visual effects in the scenes of Mahender S Rawat leave a lot to be desired. The length of the film is another issue, albeit a minor one. Though the 199-minute-long film doesn’t bore even for a moment, there are places where the interest level tends to dip to some extent. This happens in the first half, at the end of the romantic track. The audience might get restless and would expect the focus to be back on the border. Even in the second half, when the war begins in full force, a few moments don’t really engage viewers. Fortunately, these are just minor hiccups in an otherwise gripping ride, and the film ultimately delivers exactly what it promises.
Sunny Deol is in top form. He touches hearts in the emotional scenes while in the war scenes, he rocks the show. A few mass moments will remind one of his act in GADAR [2001] and other films of the yesteryears; that’s the impact he’s set to create among the masses. It’s important to note that, contrary to rumours, he’s there from start to finish. Varun Dhawan is sure to win hearts with his performance and the valour of his character. The actor gets into the skin of his character and delivers a performance like never before. Diljit Dosanjh is lovable as always and plays his part with earnestness. Ahan Shetty, too, puts his best foot forward and proves that he’s a worthy performer as well, if given a chance. However, he does get overpowered due to the presence of other stalwarts. From the female cast, Mona Singh (Simi) leaves the maximum mark. Newcomer Medha Rana (Dhanvanti) comes next. Sonam Bajwa is lovely in a small role. Anya Singh (Sudha) lends able support. From the supporting cast, Paramveer Cheema (Nishaan Singh) and Vansh Bhardwaj (Santram) make their presence felt, especially in the scene where they get letters from their respective families. Bhushan Vikas (Beniram Rao) and Azad Chauhan (Balam Singh) do well. As for the antagonists, Waqar Sheikh (Khalid), Ali Mughal (Akram Khan) and Imran Farooq (Rasheed) stand out. The other two actors who deserve a mention are Ishika Gagneja (Sukhminder; Nirmaljit’s sister) and Guneet Sandhu (Angad; Fateh’s son). The music is a highlight. ‘Ghar Kab Aaoge’ obviously takes the cake and is very well placed. ‘Jaate Hue Lamhon’ and ‘Hindustan Meri Jaan’ come next. ‘Tara Rum Pum Pum’ is foot-tapping and will put a smile on the viewers’ faces. ‘Mitti Ke Bete’ and ‘Border’ are touching. John Stewart Eduri’s background score enhances the impact.
Labyrinth Cinematic Solutions Pvt Ltd, Nube Cirrus and Redefine’s VFX is overall satisfactory but could have been better in the warship scenes. Dr Ravi Varma, Nick Powell, Parvez Shaikh and Allan Amin’s action adds to the entertainment quotient. Sheetal Sharma’s costumes and Mayur Sharma’s production design are realistic and aesthetic. Manish More’s editing is appropriate, though a few scenes could have been shorter. On the whole, BORDER 2 delivers a stirring, big-screen war spectacle that lives up to the legacy of the 1997 classic. It strikes the right balance between heart and heroism, and when it goes full throttle, it’s electrifying, especially the climax stretch that’s set to create peak mass hysteria. At the box office, the film is all set for a strong opening, and the extended four-day weekend will give it the perfect launchpad to emerge as the year’s first bona fide blockbuster.
Courtesy: https://www.bollywoodhungama.com
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