Depicting nationalism on the big screen is one of the toughest acts. When it is the question of recreating historical wars, not only does it demand a hefty budget and a team of good actors, but also the right mix of emotions. Director JP Dutta created 'Border' which was released 23 years ago and it was indeed the biggest blockbuster with an ensemble star cast. Based on the 1971 Bangladesh War, the three-hour entertainer had almost everything - fiery dialogues, dramatic scenes, action-packed moments and pure Indianness. The present generation of India may be well aware of Uri - The Surgical Strike, but it was Border which was the game-changer in making epics onscreen with true patriotic spirit. Even after two decades, Border remains to be a benchmark in military films. Border was the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 1997, getting three national awards and numerous accolades all over.

Over the years, many film critics have pointed out that the Indo-Pak enmity has played a bigger role in the success of the film. That is partially right maybe, the rather lesser emphasis has been given on the Indian family-wise connect it has with the soldiers. After the Indo-China war in 1962 or 1965 against Pakistan, Indian popular cinema witnessed films like Chetan Anand’s Haqeeqat. But none of those films were of the magnitude of JP Dutta's Border. The evergreen cult song 'Sandesh e aate hain' is in the same tune. One unique aspect of Border is, the anti-war stance it has. When modern-day films spell the venom of bloodshed with dialogues, Border didn't glorify bloodshed, rather reminded the permanent damages it invites to humanity and human existence. Therein lies the success of Border and its popularity.

There is an interesting timeline aspect of Border with Indian politics. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the quintessential leader of BJP, a political party which has ideologically championed nationalism, became the Prime Minister of India in 1998, just a year after the release of Border. From Border to Uri, nationalism in popular Indian cinema got its upsurge and ideological link to BJP has been common, to say the least. From a consumerist perspective, JP Dutta understood the psyche of the Indian audience, especially bridging the urban and rural audiences. The four principal characters of the film were Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna and Sudesh Berry and all of them came from different backgrounds. Undoubtedly it was the patriotic charm which played the unifying role in the film. Sunny Deol's high octane acting in Major Kuldip Singh's role was a standout performance in the film. Akshaye Khanna as 2nd Lieutenant Dharamvir Bhan made a dream debut whereas Suniel Shetty as Commandant Bhairon Singh was a true tribute to the indomitable courage of an Indian soldier.

Why don’t we have melodramatic nationalistic films like Border anymore? JP Dutta himself got the answer rather! He announced the sequel to Border in 2013 and even after 7 years, he is yet to come up with Border 2. Actually, films like these require huge budget and government patronage to some extent. But make no mistake, Border was not a propaganda film. And that is why, individuals, coming from all walks of life, tune in to TV channels, when Border is played onscreen.