Border 2 review: Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh’s gripping war drama entertains, despite its

Border 2 movie review:

The film delivers a nostalgic cinematic experience, showcasing strong performances, especially from Sunny Deol and Diljit Dosanjh.

In an era dominated by CGI and green screens, nostalgia remains the only special effect money cannot purchase. It turns a movie hall into a time machine, where three notes of a 90s hit can make a stadium full of adults feel ten years old, again. Dhurandhar (2025) tapped into this sentiment effectively with its music recent, and Border 2 takes it several notches higher. Not just through its soundtrack, but by bringing back the original force of nature, Sunny Deol.

Make no mistake though… this film is not a one-trick pony. You may walk in for Sunny Paaji and the timeless Sandese Aate Hain, but there is plenty more that keeps you seated through its three-hour-twenty-minute runtime.

What is the plot of Border 2?

Co-produced by JP Dutta, the man who defined mainstream Hindi war movies, Border 2 sees Anurag Singh (director of Kesari, another film in the same vein), seated on the director’s chair. The story remains rooted in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, just like the original, but this time the narrative unfolds through three new perspectives: the Indian Army’s Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya (Varun Dhawan), the Indian Navy’s Lt Cdr MS Rawat (Ahan Shetty), and the Indian Air Force’s Fg Offr Nirmal Jit Singh (Diljit Dosanjh), along with his senior, Lt Col Fateh Singh Kaler (Sunny). Their individual journeys and shared sense of duty form the spine of the film.

The screenplay by Sumit Arora and Anurag Singh, who also handle the dialogs, is largely on point, especially the first half. The film is neatly divided into two equal sections: the soldiers’ training days and personal lives first, followed by the full-blown war in the second half.

Up to the interval, it makes for a gripping watch. Each actor is given ample screen time, and the backstories and banter of the trio – Varun,Diljit and Ahan – keep you invested. Anshul Chobey’s cinematography stands out, whether it is capturing the quiet beauty of the scenic landscapes, or later, the chaos of battle scenes involving tanks and heavy ammunition.

Average war scenes

The second half is where my feelings about the film turn contradictory. While the idea of exploring the war through the lens of all three uniformed services is genuinely novel, the execution of the war itself is average at best. The budget and VFX are spent on expanding scale, but that becomes part of the problem. There is simply too much of it. The beats feel familiar and, in places, repetitive. We have seen this grammar of war cinema before. The climax, however, pulls the film back from the brink and redeems much of what precedes it, which means patience post-intermission is rewarded.

Performance-wise, you are largely purchasing a ticket for Sunny Deol, and he does not disappoint. He still has the screen presence, delivering a solid performance both as a family man and a battle-hardened soldier.

Those waiting to meme-ify Varun’s performance, will be disappointed. He gives it everything he has, and it shows. The Haryanvi accent is a hit and miss. The chemistry with Medha Rana is wonderful. She is a joy as Dhanvanti, his wife, and their scenes together add genuine emotional weight.

Diljit looks like he is having a great time with his role, largely because of how comfortable he sounds throughout. The casting of Sonam Bajwa opposite him works beautifully.

Ahan Shetty tries hard, but his track is the weakest of the three. That said, he manages to register his presence. Mona Singh, as Hoshiar’s wife, delivers a stirring performance.

Special shout out to the very apt background score by John Stewart Eduri, and the music by Anu Malik, Mithoon, Vishal Mishra, Sachet Parampara and Gurmoh.

Overall,Border 2 is not content with being just another sequel. It wants to make you sit up and salute. While its excesses are difficult to ignore, so is its sincerity. The film reaches back into a time when patriotism in cinema was worn unapologetically…when heroes spoke loudly and emotions ran true. And with some genuinely moving moments, Border 2 delivers exactly what it promises: a theatrical experience meant to be felt in a darkened hall, among strangers who momentarily feel like comrades.

Border 2 is Border, too – a retread rather than a sequel to JP Dutta’s 1997 blockbuster that serves up the original film’s winning ingredients with extra garnishing.

The valor displayed by Indian armed forces during the India-Pakistan War of 1971, the chest-thumping speeches and misty-eyed salutes, the battlefield action that descends into the trenches, the sacrifices during the last stand against the enemy, the families and wives waiting back home, sentimental songs – Anurag Singh’s Border 2 doesn’t tinker with a template that has worked. Singh delivers the whole package, but better packaged.

Border 2

Border 2 doesn’t have any surprises in terms of its story, but it takes the effort to roll out slick action sequences and improved production values. The jingoism is heavily amped up too, the film all but declaring its intention with the line “Stay within your limits, otherwise there will be neither a border nor a village nor you.” (The screenplay is by Singh and Sumit Arora).

The previous film explored the decisive Battle of Longewala in 1971. The new movie, co-produced by Dutta and based on a story by his daughter Nidhi, includes other theaters of the war, significantly in Kashmir. This is where Sunny Deol, the only actor repeated from Border, physically – and literally – protects the line that divides the subcontinent’s most fractious neighbors.

Deol plays Fateh Singh Kaler, one of several actual war heroes portrayed in Border 2. Fateh acts as a paternal figure to three younger officers who form a thick friendship during their training.

Hoshiar (Varun Dhawan), Nirmal (Diljit Dosanjh) and Mahendra (Ahan Shetty) each represent the Army, Air Force and Navy. All these divisions will be pressed into service when Pakistan’s general Yahya Khan, bristled at India’s support of guerrillas in East Pakistan, goes to war.

Fidelity to the previous film’s beats means waiting patiently for the full impact of Pakistan’s multi-pronged attack and the Indian response. Each of the principal characters get a few scenes to humanise them.

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