Border (1997 film): Difference between revisions
| Line 82: | Line 82: | ||
| length2 = 08:12 |
| length2 = 08:12 |
||
| title3 = Ke Ghar Ab Aaoge (Sandeshe Aate Hain) |
| title3 = Ke Ghar Ab Aaoge (Sandeshe Aate Hain) |
||
| extra3 = [[Roop Kumar Rathod]], [[Sonu Nigam]], [[ |
| extra3 = [[Roop Kumar Rathod]], [[Sonu Nigam]], [[Anu Malik]] |
||
| lyrics3 = [[Javed Akhtar]] |
| lyrics3 = [[Javed Akhtar]] |
||
| length3 = 10:19 |
| length3 = 10:19 |
||
Revision as of 19:49, 18 August 2011
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2010) |
| Border | |
|---|---|
 DVD Cover | |
| Directed by | J.P. Dutta |
| Screenplay by | J.P. Dutta |
| Produced by | J.P. Dutta |
| Starring | Sunny Deol Raakhee Jackie Shroff Suniel Shetty Akshaye Khanna Pooja Bhatt Tabbu Kulbhushan Kharbanda |
| Cinematography | Ishwar R. Bidri Nirmal Jani |
| Edited by | Deepak Wirkud |
| Music by | Anu Malik |
| Distributed by | J.P. Films |
Release date | June 13, 1997 |
Running time | 211 mins |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Box office | ₹61 crore (US$7.1 million)Original ₹149.11 crore (US$17 million)Adjusted[1] |
Border is a 1997 blockbuster Bollywood war film based on the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. J. P. Dutta directed and produced this war epic which stars Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty, Akshay Khanna, Pooja Bhatt, Sharbani Mukherjee and Tabu.
Director J.P. Dutta won Best Director at the same award function, while his father O.P. Dutta won for Best Dialogues.
The movie is an adaptation from real life events that happened at the Battle of Longewala fought in Rajasthan (Western Theatre) during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and Bangladesh Liberation War. It is about how a band of 120 soldiers of the Punjab regiment of the Indian Army headed by Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri successfully defended their post all night against a whole Tank regiment of the Pakistani Army, until assistance came from the Indian Air Force the next morning. The film was a critical and commercial hit in India.
Plot
The film opens before the actual declaration of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 as army Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri and airforce Wing Commander Anand Bajwa meet on a courier flight and speak about the possibility of opening of the Western front in light of the East Pakistan conflict. Kuldip takes up command of A Coy of the 23rd Punjab Regiment arguing the light defence being assigned to Longewala. He meets his second in command Lt Dharamvir Bhan (who happens to be the son of a 1965 war veteran who was killed during that war) and the Coy NCO Subedar Mathura Das. The company moves to the remote outpost in the deserts of Rajasthan and begins to expand the rudimentary BSF post and does a recce of the area up to the international border with Pakistan. They meet the post's BSF commandant Bhairon Singh, a deeply patriotic man who loves the desert.
During a night patrol Kuldip, Lt Dharamvir and Bhairon Singh come across a suspicious bunch of locals who turn out to be insurgents. The trio get into a brief firefight killing all but one of the insurgents when Dharamvir hesitates to shoot one of the insurgents. Kuldip severely derides him and shoots the insurgent himself, prompting Dharamvir to vomit. A badly shaken Dharamvir is comforted by Bhairon Singh and the two reminisce about their personal lives. Dharamvir recounts how he met his fiancee Kamla, a lively young girl from his native village who he had fallen for and how he got his mobilization orders on the day of his engagement to Kamla. Bhairon Singh recounts his wedding night, his first night with his bride, when he was called back to post and how he bids a tearful goodbye to his beautiful wife Phool Kanwar.
The unit is joined by the charismatic Subedar Ratan Singh, a man of insatiable appetite and wit, with 2 106mm jeep mounted RCL guns to serve as an anti-armour unit. The company wireless operator picks up a spy transmitting from a nearby area and Dharamvir sets out to investigate. He ambushes the spy and kills the man, bringing the body back to the post to prove that he is over his fear of killing another person. The unit settles down to wait for the enemy as they keep track of the developing events on the radio. The Indian army starts moving forces to nearby locations preparing to attack if Pakistan tries to open the Western front and this gives hope of soon-to-come action for the men tired of the long wait in the hot and desolate desert. Subedar Mathura Das is granted leave to attend to his child and wife(who is ailing with cancer). The men receive letters with news from back home and talk among of themselves of the people they left back home to serve their country.
On the evening of 3rd December 1971 the unit receives word that the enemy has attacked with Pakistan Air Force planes bombing multiple Indian airbases and that war has been officially declared by the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.Dharamvir is sent to patrol the border with a section and Bhairon Singh is assigned to clear out the nearby villages. As Bhairon Singh is briefing the villagers on evacuation, Pakistani artillery batteries start shelling Indian positions and villages. Kuldip joins in the evacuation as heavy shelling occurs leveling a whole village. In the meanwhile Dharamvir's patrol spots Pakistani tanks and infantry crossing the border into India. He reports back the enemy movement to Kuldip and is ordered to shadow the tanks without engaging them. Kuldip radios for air support and speaks to Wing Com Bajwa, who tells him that there can be no air support as his base has only Hunter fighters which cannot fly at night. In despair Kuldip radios his CO and explains his untenable position. He is given the option of either holding his post or retreat, he decides to stay and so does his entire company.
As the unit digs in to face the enemy assault Mathura returns and apologises for deserting the men of his company. Kuldip thanks him for returning in time and assigns him to the RCL units. The post is surrounded by massed enemy armour and infantry while the shelling from across the border continues relentlessly. The Pakistani commander hurls expletives at Kuldip addressing him by name and tells him to retreat or die. Kuldip lashes back and swears and insults the Pak commander Ghulam Kadir, addressing him by name and insulting him. The tanks open fire on the post and the battle begins with some tanks being blown up by mines.Mathura destroys some more tanks before his RCL is hit by a tank shell wounding him and prompting Bhairon Singh to extract him from the burning jeep. Mathura is fatally wounded when he goes to extract a recoil spring for Bhairon Singh's MMG and dies in Bhairon's arms.A tank shell targets Bhairon's machine gun nest and destroys it wounding Bhairon.He charges one of the tanks and destroys it with an anti-tank mine but gets killed by enemy gunfire.Dharamvir breaks through the enemy cordon and returns to post but his entire patrol is wiped out in the process.The Pakistani commander orders a bayonet charge on the Indian position but the attack is beaten back by the Indians with Dharamvir being severely wounded. The Indians capture a Pakistani private who reveals that the Pakistani column plans to capture Jaiselmer by morning , Jodhpur by afternoon and reach Delhi by night.
As dawn nears the Pakistanis launch a last ditch attempt to overrun Longewala post with a massed assault of tanks and infantry. Kuldip gathers the remaining of his depleted force and prepares for a suicide counter-attack on the advancing enemy.The Indians engage in vicious hand-to-hand fighting with Kuldip jumping from tank to tank lobbing grenades down the turret hatches.Dawn has broken as the fight heats up and Bawa's squadron finally takes off from the Jaisalmer Base to aid Kudip's besieged coy.During the fight Kuldip falls on the ground into the sights of a Pakistani tank but before the tank can open fire it is destroyed by cannon fire from an Indian Air Force jet as Bajwa's squadron arrives and the tide of battle turns.The Pakistani attack breaks as tank after tank is hit by the planes till they decide to beat a retreat back across the border.The battle ends as a soldier tries to tell Dharamvir about the victory and realises that he has died.The unit is relieved as Indian tanks and artillery arrive and more air-strikes beat back enemy reinforcements. The end credits roll as the Indians launch their counter-offensive and news of the deceased reach their homes.
Cast
- Rajnesh Bakshi as Brigadier (Raj)
- Sunny Deol as Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
- Jackie Shroff as Wing Commander Anand "Andy" Bajwa
- Suniel Shetty as Captain Bhairon Singh, B.S.F.
- Akshaye Khanna as 2nd Lt. Dharamvir
- Sudesh Berry as Subedar Mathura Das
- Puneet Issar as Subedar Ratan Singh
- Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Pagheeram, the cook
- Rakhi as Dharamvir's mother
- Pooja Bhatt as Kamla (Dharamvir's fiancee)
- Tabu as Kuldip Singh's wife
- Sharbani Mukherjee as Bhairon Singh's wife
Awards
- Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Film: Border
- Winner: Filmfare Award for Best Director: J.P. Dutta
- Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actor in Supporting Role: Suniel Shetty
- Winner: Filmfare Award for Best Newcomer Role: Akshay Khanna
- Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actor: Sunny Deol
- Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best playback singer: Sonu Nigam and Roop Kumar Rathod
Soundtrack
The music is composed by Anu Malik while the lyrics are penned by Javed Akhtar.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hamen Jab Se Mohabbat" | Javed Akhtar | Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik | 07:33 |
| 2. | "Hindustan Hindustan" | Javed Akhtar | Shankar Mahadevan, Sonali Rathod | 08:12 |
| 3. | "Ke Ghar Ab Aaoge (Sandeshe Aate Hain)" | Javed Akhtar | Roop Kumar Rathod, Sonu Nigam, Anu Malik | 10:19 |
| 4. | "Mere Dushman Mere Bhai" | Javed Akhtar | Hariharan | 10:15 |
| 5. | "To Chalun" | Javed Akhtar | Roop Kumar Rathod | 08:21 |
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (August 2009) |
- The film was shot on location in the desert near Pakistan where the set for the Longewala Border Security Post was put up atop a sand dune for the Indian Army portion of the film and also in Jaisalmer where the Indian Air Force portion was shot. The equipment, ammunition and weapons were all actual Indian Army equipment that were used by the Filmmakers.
- J. P. Dutta's brother was an Indian Air Force pilot who died in a MiG crash in 1987, the film is dedicated to him. While making the film, Dutta referred to diaries he had written at the time about his brother's experiences.
- The movie shows many soldiers including B.S.F. Captain Bhairon Singh and Second Lt. Dharamvir being killed. However, in real life, the Defenders at Longewala lost 'only' 2 soldiers in the battle.
- Sanjay Dutt was supposed to play the role of Flight wing commander Andy Bajwa.
See also
- Battle of Longewala fought in Rajasthan (Western Theatre) during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
- Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, Major (later Brigadier) of Punjab Regiment who won the Maha Vir Chakra for bravery in the Battle of Longewala and whose role has been played by Sunny Deol in this movie.
- 1971 Bangladesh atrocities and Bangladesh Liberation War, which led to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
- LOC Kargil, a 2003 Bollywood war film based on "Kargil War" or the "Indo-Pakistani War of 1999", also directed by J.P.Dutta
- The Uphaar Cinema fire