Renowned Bollywood producer Bhushan Kumar has clarified that Akshaye Khanna was not added to the film Border 2 following the success of Dhurandhar, but that his inclusion was part of the script from the very beginning.

Indian media has been abuzz with speculation that Akshaye Khanna - who played the role of Rehman Daku in the controversial Bollywood film Dhurandhar, based on Karachi’s Lyari area - was cast in Border 2 only after Dhurandhar performed well at the box office.

It is worth recalling that Border 2, the sequel to Sunny Deol’s film Border - widely criticized for its anti-Pakistan propaganda - was released in cinemas on January 23. The film is currently breaking box office records across India, even surpassing Dhurandhar.

Alongside Sunny Deol, Border 2 stars Diljit Dosanjh, Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty, and other prominent actors. Toward the end of the film, Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Puneet Issar, and Sudesh Berry also make appearances. These actors had portrayed soldiers who were martyred in the original Border film.

Short clips of the tribute scene featuring Akshaye Khanna and the other actors have gone viral on social media. In the scene, Sunny Deol’s character, Fateh Singh Kallar, pays homage to the martyrs from the first film.

Responding to the speculation, the filmmakers clarified that this tribute sequence was part of the script from the outset and was not added after the success of Dhurandhar.

Co-producer Bhushan Kumar stated that films are not made in such a manner, emphasizing that the tribute scene was already written into the script. He added that although the scene was conceptualized earlier, it was actually shot after the release of Dhurandhar.

Director Anurag Singh further explained that Akshaye Khanna’s portion was filmed on December 10 and 11, confirming that he was always an integral part of the story. He added that viewers who stay until the very end of the film are rewarded with a special, golden moment.

It may be noted that Border 2 is set against the backdrop of the 1971 Pakistan–India war.