Despite suffering a personal tragedy weeks ago, when his father — the legendary actor Dharmendra — passed away, Sunny Deol stoically returned to work, and put the spotlight on his upcoming film, Border 2 at its teaser launch in Mumbai.
Still, he couldn’t help but get emotional on stage.
During his address to the audience, Sunny delivered a powerful dialogue from Border 2: ‘Awaaz kahan tak jaani chahiye?‘ and the audience thundered back, ‘Lahore tak.’
As he repeated the dialogue, he was seen momentarily overcome with emotion.
WATCH: Sunny Deol recreates the rousing war cry from Border 2…
Much like the 1997 blockbuster Border, the sequel pays tribute to the courage, grit and sacrifice of Indian soldiers. The OG star Sunny returns in a new role as Lieutenant Colonel Fateh Singh Kaler.
The film also features Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty.
Kesari Director Anurag Singh steps in to helm the sequel, taking over from J P Dutta, who serves as the producer here.
The teaser also showcases the film’s female leads Mona Singh, Sonam Bajwa, Anya Singh and debutante Medha Rana, though they were absent at the launch event.
The teaser was released on December 16 to mark Vijay Divas, a fitting choice given that the story is set against the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan War.
The venue was filled with schoolchildren in Bharat Scouts and Guides uniforms, who welcomed the cast with a special parade.
Making a coordinated entry, the actors appeared in formal attire, in keeping with their roles as soldiers.
Varun revealed that Sunny’s rousing war cry was inspired by a real life incident during the film’s shoot in Leh and was not part of the original script.
The actor added that he had to convince the director to include the dialogue in the film.
“Anurag Sir usually doesn’t include anything that’s not written in the script. I kept requesting him, saying this is a real moment happening in front of us. I pleaded with him to use it, and he finally agreed to include it in the teaser,” Varun said.
When Sunny delivered the dialogue during the shoot, Varun recalled he was standing in line and got “goosebumps”.
WATCH: Varun Dhawan calls working with Sunny Deol his ‘biggest honour’…
Ahan Shetty makes his return to the big screen after a four-year hiatus, having been last seen in the 2021 romantic action film Tadap, opposite Tara Sutaria.
In Border 2, he essays the role of an Indian Air Force officer, adding an interesting link to the franchise as his father Suniel Shetty was a key part of the 1997 original.
At the event, Ahan touched Sunny Deol’s feet as he joined him on stage and referred to the senior actor as “an absolute legend”.
“Sunny sir did Border with my father, so in a way, I am carrying that legacy forward,” Ahan said.
“The first few days, I was petrified. My hands were shaking. There is a certain kind of pressure, but as they say, baap toh baap hota hain.”
Ahan said he has kept his expectations realistic, choosing not to compare his work with that of his father.
“If I can even be 10 per cent of what my father was in that film, I think I will be able to do justice to the character,” he said.
“To be on set with Varun (Dhawan) and Sunny sir (Deol). To learn from them, to have the support of the producers and a director like Anurag sir, it was a blessing.”
WATCH: Ahan Shetty reveals the advice he received from his dad…
Border 2 will release in cinemas on January 23, ahead of Republic Day.
