J P Dutta, who turns 75 today, is not big on birthdays. But the one thing that the filmmaker is crazy about, even after pursuing it for close to 50 years, is movies. He has spent the past year developing Border 2, the sequel to his blockbuster Border (1997).

“Every film that I have made has been a milestone. But Border has been my biggest milestone and it’s been the one thing that has ensured me immortality,” he smiles.

Dutta had directed the Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna and Jackie Shroff-led war drama. Over 27 years on, Deol takes centre-stage again as the sequel’s leading man, joined by new entrants Varun Dhawan and Diljit Dosanjh. The change is not restricted to in front of the camera alone. The veteran filmmaker has handed the directorial baton to Anurag Singh, who previously helmed Kesari (2019) and Punjab 1984 (2014).

Wasn’t Dutta tempted to helm the second instalment as well? “I have never directed something I haven’t written. I’ve always been a writer-director. This story was written by Nidhi [Dutta, writer-producer]. So, it was natural to get someone other than myself to direct it.”

Border 2, like the original, will focus on a chapter of the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Dutta is confident that the franchise is safe in new hands. “I really liked Anurag’s work in Kesari. He is someone who understands the emotion that is India. With Sunny, it has always been a dream run, and now with new blood Varun and Diljit [playing] celebrated heroes from the Armed Forces, it will be great.”

From Border to LOC: Kargil (2003) and Paltan (2018), Dutta has largely built his five-decade career on war films. However, in the recent past, the genre has been unable to set the box office on fire. Not just that, most of the films have been criticized for being jingoistic rather than patriotic. Point this out to Dutta, and he remains unfazed.

“In war films, the difference lies in having knowledge of the Armed Forces, which is what sets me and my films apart [from the others] because most of my family is part of it. My daughter has imbibed that from me. So, she has been able to write the story.”