Veteran lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar has clearly explained why he chose to stay away from Border 2, the sequel to the 1997 war film Border. His remarks have reignited conversations around creativity in Bollywood, especially as the film’s music has already faced mixed reactions online.
Javed Akhtar, who wrote the memorable songs for Border, confirmed that the makers of Border 2 did approach him. However, he said he turned down the offer for creative reasons. Speaking to India Today, he explained that his decision had nothing to do with legacy or emotions. Instead, it was about how the film was handling its music.
According to Javed, the heavy use of recreated songs made him uncomfortable. He felt the approach showed a lack of creative effort. He did not hold back while sharing his view and called it “a kind of intellectual and creative bankruptcy.”
He said, “They did ask me to write for the film, but I refused. I really feel this is a kind of intellectual and creative bankruptcy. You have an old song, which did well, and you want to put it out again by adding something? Make new songs or else accept that you cannot do the same level of work.”
Javed Akhtar Feels Border 2 Makers Are Relying On Original Film’s Music
Javed Akhtar also questioned the growing habit of recreating old songs in new films. He said that if filmmakers are making a new movie, they should also create new music for it.
He asked, “Whatever is bygone, let that be. What is the need to recreate it?”
To explain his point, Javed referred to Haqeeqat (1964), a war film that inspired Border. He said the makers of Border chose not to reuse songs from Haqeeqat, even though those tracks were extremely popular.
He said, “We had a film before us also, which was Haqeeqat (1964). And its songs were not ordinary ones. Be it ‘Kar chale hum fida’ or ‘Main yeh sochkar uske dar se utha tha’. Those were such brilliant songs, but we didn’t use them. We wrote new ones, we made absolutely different songs, and people liked them too.”
Javed added that leaning on past success sends a poor message. “You are making a movie again, so create new songs. Why are you depending on the past? You have accepted that we can’t do it. We will live with the past glory.”
Border 2 Faces Backlash Over Reworked Songs
Even before its release, Border 2 has faced online criticism for reusing music from the original film. Several tracks released so far are recreated versions. One of them is “Ghar Kab Aaoge,” which is based on the iconic “Sandese Aate Hain.”
While some listeners enjoyed the nostalgia and praised the updated sound by composer Mithoon and singers like Arijit Singh, many felt the emotional depth of the original was missing. Social media soon filled with debates over whether such classics should be touched at all.
The criticism also extended to the visuals. Actor Varun Dhawan was trolled for his expressions in the music videos. Many users compared his performance to the original cast and called it “over-the-top.”
About The Sequel
Directed by Anurag Singh, Border 2 is set to release on January 23, 2026, during the Republic Day weekend. The film looks back at the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War and widens its scope to include the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. The story draws inspiration from events like the Battle of Basantar and the defence of INS Khukri.
The film is produced by JP Dutta, Nidhi Dutta and Bhushan Kumar. Reports suggest the budget is between Rs 150 crore and Rs 250 crore, with a runtime close to 200 minutes.
Sunny Deol returns as Lt. Col Fateh Singh Kaler. The cast also includes Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty. Mona Singh, Sonam Bajwa and Medha Rana appear in key roles. Rumoured cameos by Suniel Shetty and Akshaye Khanna have further added to the buzz around the film.
