Border 2 isn’t a bad film, just not the Border we remember

Border 2 is a likeable film, but you can’t quite love it. At three hours and 19 minutes, it stretches itself thin in places, asking for patience even when its intentions are sincere. It isn’t careless, and not lazy either. But when a film carries a title as loaded as Border, effort alone doesn’t suffice. Legacy demands something else entirely.
JP Dutta’s Border (1997) was more than a war film, it was an emotional memory shared across generations. It arrived at a time when watching a film meant sitting in front of a bulky television set. The film allowed the battlefield to declare its patriotism. Its emotions rose organically from dust, fear, camaraderie and loss. Nearly three decades later, Border 2 inherits that memory, and struggles under its weight.
Sunny Deol remains the clearest bridge between the two films. At 68, his physicality is striking, his command unchanged. Whether in hand combat or scenes showcasing grief, he understands the grammar of this universe instinctively. In many ways, he carries the film on his shoulders, just as he did in 1997. But this time, he often stands alone.
Diljit Dosanjh offers solid support, bringing sincerity and restraint to his part. Varun Dhawan and Ahan Shetty are competent, serviceable, but not commanding. In a film so sharply shaped by memory, performances which are just fine feel insufficient. The original Border elevated its ensemble, making each soldier look like an inevitable force. Here, that collective force is missing. Legacy seems like a solitary act.
One of the film’s biggest shortcomings lies in its music. The new soundtrack fails to leave a lasting impression. The emotional recall comes almost entirely from the original album: Sandese Aate Hain, Toh Chaloon — songs that already carry decades of feeling within them. As beautiful and enduring as Sandese Aate Hain remains, it doesn’t land the same way here. In fact, the scenes leading up to it feel designed to accommodate the song, not grow into it. The dependence exposes the film’s emotional gaps.
In Border 2, the narrative spends more time on personal lives and emotional backstories than on sustained battle sequences. The film is built around four major confrontations from the 1971 India-Pakistan war: Operation Changez Khan in the air, the Battle of Munawar Tawi in Jammu and Kashmir, the Battle of Basantar, and the INS Khukri naval battle. Four powerful stories, four leaders, immense real-life loss and valour. The intention to do justice to all of them is clear. But intention alone doesn’t translate into immersion.
For a film of this length, the battle sequences feel fleeting, leaving you wanting more — an odd feeling for a war drama stretched across over three hours. The original Border made the battlefield feel intimate. Border 2 makes you aware of its scale, but rarely allows you to understand its depth.