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Diljit Dosanjh says he didn’t have money to watch original Border in theatres, didn’t expect to star in the sequel 19 years later. Watch

Diljit Dosanjh recounted how he couldn't watch the original Border in 1997, as he didn’t have the money, and never imagined that one day he would be part of the film’s legacy.

3 min readMumbaiJan 24, 2026 01:12 PM IST

Border 2 is in cinemas now.

Border 2 finally hit theatres this Friday, and as expected, the film has set the box office on fire on its opening day. The film, starring Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Ahan Shetty, raked in an impressive Rs 32 crore on day one, surpassing the opening day numbers of recent blockbuster actioners like Dhurandhar. This marks a strong start not only for the film, but also for Hindi cinema in 2026. Sunny Deol, Diljit Dosanjh, Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty star in the film.

In fact, in a recent interaction with his fans on social media, Diljit shared a memory about the original film. He made a video explaining how he had wanted to watch the original Border in theatres back in 1997 but couldn’t afford it at the time. The clip, shared on X, features Diljit saying: “I remember when the first Border came, so many people around me went to watch it but I couldn’t because I didn’t have the money for it. My family also didn’t give me any money for it but even they didn’t have much so how could they spare it. I really wanted to watch the film then. Little did I know that I would get the chance to be in the film one day.”

In the same video, he also spoke about the character he is portraying, based on the life of Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon. He said: “Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon ji’s character, what a wonderful character! If you have never read about him, some people know about it, but you should definitely read and understand his life.”

#DiljitDosanjh reveals he couldn’t afford to Watch #Border in Theatres 🤯🤯

Now He is a STAR in #Border2 & Delivered a POWERFUL Performance 💥💥#SunnyDeol #VarunDhawan #AhaanShetty pic.twitter.com/qq5y25qBlA

— Random Cine Mood (@RandomCineMood) January 23, 2026

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Last year, Border 2, directed by Anurag Singh and produced by JP Dutta alongside Bhushan Kumar, was at the center of controversy. The issue arose after Diljit’s Sardaar Ji 3, which also starred Pakistani actor Hania Aamir, released outside India, despite Indian film bodies issuing a blanket ban on Pakistani artistes working in Indian films following the Pahalgam terror attack. At the time, speculation arose that Diljit might be removed from Border 2. Addressing the matter, producer and T-Series head Bhushan Kumar confirmed that Diljit was very much part of the film but promised Indian cine bodies that he would not work with the singer-actor again after this project.

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