Actor Suniel Shetty would have returned for Border 2 had his character not been killed in the 1997 film, he said on Monday in an interview.
“I will never forget this film (Border)… When you die for the country, it feels good. But for the first time, I felt that if I was alive in 'Border', then I would have become part of Border 2,” Shetty told reporters, according to an article by news agency PTI.
The 64-year-old actor was speaking at the song launch of Jaate Hue Lamhon, a remake of the Border song. The new track features in Border 2, which is set to be released in theatres on January 23.
J.P. Dutta’s 1997 directorial Border, which was inspired by real events from the 1971 India–Pakistan war, featured Shetty as Captain Bhairon Singh, a battle-hardened Indian Army officer martyred towards the end of the film.
“When I was offered this character, I was scared as I felt would I be able to play this character because playing a reel life character is easy but essaying a real-life character is very difficult. When I got my death sequence, I was very happy. When you die for the country, it feels good,” Shetty added.
Border 2 is the second instalment in the war drama franchise that began with Border.
The war drama is helmed by Anurag Singh, known for helming films like Kesari (2019), Punjab 1984 (2014), Jatt & Juliet (2012) and Dil Bole Hadippa! (2009).
The film stars Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty, Diljit Dosanjh in key roles. The ensemble cast also features Sonam Bajwa, Mona Singh and Medha Rana.
Shetty said he is indebted to Anurag Singh for giving his son, Ahan, an opportunity after his debut in the 2021 film Tadap.
“It is his second film, and he has been given such a huge responsibility. To get the opportunity to play a naval officer in just his second film — and possibly one of the first naval officers depicted on screen in Indian cinema — is truly special. I feel blessed,” the actor said.
“He could not have asked for a better project than this. I only pray that he has done justice to the role and that the film works for all of us,” he added.
Border 2 is presented by Gulshan Kumar & T-Series, in association with J.P. Dutta’s J.P. Films. It is backed by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, J.P. Dutta, and Nidhi Dutta.