Suniel Shetty rejected Border! Here's how he agreed to come on board

1997's iconic war drama Border paved the way for new-age war films. Set during 1971's Indi-Pak war, the JP Dutta directorial continues to resonate with the audience. The ensemble cast of Border, including Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Sudesh Berry and Puneet Issar, made at a budget of Rs 10 crore emerged as an all-time blockbuster. Well, now, all eyes are on Border 2, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty alongside Sunny Deol. Amid the building excitement among all for Border 2, here we bring an interesting anecdote about Border that Suniel Shetty recently revealed.

SunielShettyRefusedBorder!

Suniel Shetty played Bhairav Singh in the epic war film Border and won hearts with his powerful character portrayal. While all actors nailed their characters, Bhairav Singh's immense love for the motherland remains afresh in the hearts and minds of moviegoers. His character became iconic.

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But, recently, Suniel Shetty revealed that he rejected Border after script narration. He said that when he was initially approached for the role he hesitated due to concerns about Dutta's reputed temper.

"I had said no to JP sir when he narrated Border to me, even though I liked the script. Somebody told me he is hot-tempered and you won't get along, so I said no. I don't know what JP sir thought... but he needed me for that character, and he spoke to my mother-in-law saying, 'I need him for the film'," said Shetty.

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Well, it was Shetty's mother-in-law, who insisted on accepting the film offer, which later went on to become an epic.

Further, Shetty recalled another interesting anecdote related to the film.

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Shetty recalled that when he visited Kargil during the 1999 war, two years after Border's release, the movie's emotional pact cemented for the actor.

He also recalled a powerful moment when he met a young Sikh soldier who had lost an arm in combat.

Shetty said, "The Kargil war was going on, and I got information that the boys wanted to see me. The war was on, shelling was on, so I remember signing that form saying that I will be going at my own risk, and we were flown to Kargil. I went to the base camp, and there was shelling going on on top."

He recalled that one soldier, barely 19 or 20 years old, was drowsy when he saw him. But, suddenly he woke up and began shouting Bhairav Singh's war cry from Border movie. Even Shetty joined him overwhelmed by the moment.

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Further, he acknowledged the film's impact. He said, "If Suniel Shetty would stay in people's minds, even long after I am gone also, it will be only because of Border."