11 Facts About JP Dutta's Border, Iconic Patriotic Movie That Still Makes Us Cry After 26 Years

If you ask any Indian which is the best Indian war film or best patriotic movie to watch on independence day 2023, JP Dutta's Border is perhaps going to be first on the list.

The movie was released 26 years ago, yet it makes us cry each time we watch it. As India celebrates 77 years of independence today, here are 11 facts about Border that you probably didn't know.

1. Border is based on real-life incidents?

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JP Dutta, the ace filmmaker who directed, wrote and produced the movie, took inspiration from the diaries JP Dutta wrote about the life of his deceased brother who was an Indian Air Force pilot. He dedicated the film to him and his real-life experiences.

2. JP Dutta got death threats before the release of the movie.

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Even before the release of the movie, JP Dutta would get death threats. He was provided with two armed men as bodyguards to protect him from any adanger. These men accompanies him everywhere for three-four months after the release of the movie.

Dutta wasn't scared at all. He went ahead to make LOC: Kargil thereafter. "I argued with my family, saying that we all have to die one way or the other. If he [a soldier] can stand there and die for me, why can¡¯t I die for him? I am not going to put my tail between my legs and run. I will go out there and record history, whether it was (Lt) Manoj Pandey, or (Captain) Vikram Batra, or (Lt Saurabh) Kalia," he was quoted as saying by Forbes.

3. The film was four hours long because Dutta didn't want to remove any story. 'I met the families of officers...'

Behind the scene. 21th years of #border movie? #Jpdutta sir @SunielVShetty sir @iamsunnydeol sir #akshaykhanna sir & whole team ?? pic.twitter.com/uFNydrqmrS

¡ª Jaswant Singh Rathore (@jaswantjustone) June 13, 2018

"I did not do the film for commercial reasons, or for the box office. I did not do the film by cutting it down to three hours or two-and-a-half hours. It was a four-hour film, and I retained that length because I had met the families of the officers and men, I had spoken about their children, how they grew up, how they fought. Had I cut the film, I would have had to remove their lives and their stories from the film. And I would not have been able to face those families ever again."

4. Real equipment were used for the film

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Real military equipments including tanks, jeeps, and ammunition were used for this iconic movie. Not just that, the Indian Army and Air Force loaned vehicles and weapons used in the movie including Hawker Hunter planes.

5. The movie was shot at real locations.

This Scene?#Border #JpDutta sir@SunielVShetty sir@iamsunnydeol sir@AkshayeOfficial sir pic.twitter.com/gZwFJiQxXG

¡ª Dalpat Razzpurohit (@DalpatSunielian) July 15, 2020

One of the best patriotic movies made in India, Border was shot in the real-life location of 1971 battle on the vast spread deserts of Bikaner.

6. Sanjay Dutt was signed for the role of Andy Bajwa, but had to be replaced by Jackie Shroff due to his jail sentence.

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7. 'This film should definitely be made', said then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao when he approached him to seek permission for the film.

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8. Did you know about 5 actors who rejected the role of Lieutenant Dharamvir?

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Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and even Ajay Devgn was approached for the role of Lieutenant Dharamvir but they all rejected it. Aamir refused it because he was busy with Ishq and Ajay Devgn didn't want to be a part of a multi-starrer movie. Other actors rejected the film for reasons best known to them. Eventually, newcomer Akshaye Khanna bagged the role that changed his life forever.

9. Do you know Akshay Khanna was advised against doing Border?

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In fact, people called him foolish for accepting the offer. "Sometimes certain decisions are viewed as a possible risk by people. I was a newcomer in Border and there were massive superstars all around me. Many people had told me back then that it would be foolish to share screen space with people who are so accomplished," he told OTT play.

10. Border turned out to be the highest-grossing Hindi movie of 1997.

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Hailed as one of the best Hindi patriotic movies of all time, Border was the highest-grossing Hindi movie of 1997. Not just that, it was the second highest grossing Indian film internationally after Dil Toh Pagal Hai.

11. Juhi Chawla rejected to play Kuldip Singh's wife, Manisha Koirala walked out.

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It is said that Juhi Chawla didn't want to play a small role so she rejected to play the role that eventually Tabu played. Manisha Koirala had also signed the movie but she later opted out.

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