"Sandese aate hain, hamein tadpaate hain..." This majestic patriotic number penned by Javed Akhtar and composed by Anu Malik is from 1997's epic war drama directed, written and produced by JP Dutta which still remains fresh in the hearts and minds of music lovers as well as patriots.
Border, set during the Indi-Pakistan war of 1971 was an adaptation of real-life events. The dream project of Dutta came true with a huge cast of Jackie Shroff, Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Sudesh Berry and Puneet Issar and several others in the supporting cast. With this, Dutta paved the way for the new-age war films.
An 'All Time Blockbuster'
Made at a budget of 10 crore, the movie's total box office collection in India was 39 crore while the worldwide collection was 65 crore. The movie went on to become an 'All time blockbuster' with IMDb rating at 7.9/10. Apart from winning the hearts of the movie lovers, it won 15 awards in different categories at Filmfare Awards, National Film Awards, Screen Awards and Zee Cine Awards.
Songs that touched the hearts...
It would be injustice if the music track in the movie is ignored. Songs like 'Toh Chalun', 'Sandese Aate Hai', 'Mere Dushman, Mere Bhai' and 'Hamein Jab Se Mohabbat' still are in the music list of admirers. Even after 25 years, 'Sandese Aate Hai' is a must-track played at different patriotic events. Composed by Anu Malik and lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar, the songs still strike the emotional chords.
While Akshaye Khanna bagged the award for Best Male Debut at the Filmfare, Border without remembering Roop Kumar Rathod and Sonu Nigam's song 'Sandeshe Aate Hain' would be incomplete.
Today on June 13, the movie completes its journey of 25 years. The imprints of the movie left on the minds and hearts of all look quite fresh even today as social media is flooded with posts to celebrate the remarkable journey and its silver jubilee.
Real-life screen portrayal that still are reminisced
The multi-starrer movie had several actors but the entire story revolved around Jackie, Sunny, Suniel, and Akshaye with Sudesh, Puneet and Kulbhushan Kharbanda sharing a major part. All these actors were able to impress the mass of audience and garnered massive appreciation. While Jackie and Sunny made it after the war, the demise of the characters played by Suniel, Akshaye and Puneeth left everyone speechless.
Above all, Suniel's Bhairon Singh character portrayal was spellbinding. Singh, who is a war veteran was portrayed as a martyr. However, the character successfully connected with the audience. Even Sunny's roaring character as the commander was quite influential.
These posts on social media certainly bring clarity that the new age audience even has well-accepted the movie and the characters.
The movie was shot in Rajasthan and real artillery provided by the Indian Army and Air Force, including vehicles, rifles, machine guns, as well as uniforms were used in it. Several officers also shared tactics used by the Pakistani army during the Battle of Longewala. The director didn't leave any stone unturned to give it a realistic touch.
A Trailblazer
Border was a benchmark movie in the Indian film industry that paved the way for war flicks in the new age. Following the track, several other filmmakers came up with movies in the genre. The list includes LOC: Kargil, Lakshya, URI, The Ghazi Attack, Shershaah, Bhuj, and Kesari and all these flicks have been well-received by the audience.