CBFC clears Border 2 with NO dialogue or action cuts; warship name changed to Kavach; flag visuals removed in war plane scenes

 The first major movie of the year, Border 2, is ready to come out in two days, on January 23. The excitement is huge. The process of getting it approved took some time, but the censor certificate was given to the makers today, on Wednesday, January 21. In this article, source will focus on the cut list of the war drama.

The good news is that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) did not ask for any cuts in dialogues or action scenes.

 That means the action scenes stayed as they were.

However, the CBFC did ask for a few small changes.

 The makers were asked to add the real name of Fateh Singh for Sunny Deol's character in the credits. The Indian flag's visuals on the war plane were replaced as per the guidelines, wherever they appeared in the film. The name of the warship was changed to 'Kavach'. The length and size of the information about the warriors were increased.

As requested by the makers, the documents that are publicly available were shared with the members of the Examining Committee of the CBFC.

 The makers were also asked to double-check if the emblem on the shoulder was correct. The producers confirmed that the depiction was accurate and that they had checked it with the army as well as the family of Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, who is played by Varun Dhawan.

Once all changes were made, Border 2 was given a U/A 13+ certificate.

 The fact that it wasn't given a 16+ rating suggests that it might not be as intense or bloody. The length of the film, as mentioned on the censor certificate, is 199.07 minutes. In other words, Border 2 is 3 hours, 19 minutes and 7 seconds long.

Border 2 features Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, Ahan Shetty, and others.

 It is directed by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar of T-Series and J P Dutta and Nidhi Dutta of J P Films. It is also directed by Anurag Singh.

O’Romeo trailer launch: Vishal Bhardwaj jokes, “My director friends tease me, ‘You should get 10th National Award for the fact that you have done 4 films with Shahid Kapoor’!”

Shahid Kapoor, Triptii Dimri, Avinash Tiwary, Farida Jalal, producer Sajid Nadiadwala, and director Vishal Bhardwaj were at a multiplex in Mumbai to watch the trailer of their film O'Romeo. Vishal Bhardwaj made a big impression with his jokes, especially when he talked about Shahid Kapoor. This is their fourth movie together. They had worked on Kaminey in 2009, Haider in 2014, and Rangoon in 2017.

Vishal Bhardwaj started by saying, "I think Shahid Kapoor is one of the finest actors, if not the finest actor, of his generation.

 His talent comes from his father (Pankaj Kapur) and mother (Neelima Azeem). Also, I have realized that he has seen life. He has the intelligence to know how to use those experiences in his performances."

He continued, "I am hesitant to say this, but I need to say it to explain my point.

 I have won 9 National Awards until now. My director friends tease me, 'You should get the 10th National Award for the fact that you have done 4 films with Shahid Kapoor'! However, even I am a difficult person to work with and Shahid is aware of it. Only he understands my passive aggression. Hence, I feel it should be the other way round. Shahid should get a National Award for working with me!"

Vishal added, "We complement each other and we even fight.

 Lekin hamari jodi ban chuki hai, like Laxmikant-Pyarelal or Kalyanji-Anandji (smiles)!"

Shahid Kapoor responded to these statements and caused laughter, "Vishal sir privately praises a lot and publicly takes off his pants!

 He has a certain sense of humor and this is how he expresses himself in a certain way. It takes many years to learn that. Right, Rekha ma'am (pointing at Vishal’s wife, Rekha Bhardwaj)? Finally, I think I might be getting there (laughs)."

On a serious note, he said, "It's amazing working with him.

 It's difficult to describe in a few words. The fact that we have done four films together speaks for itself. Every time we work together, I think we create something very fresh and unique. The journey has been difficult and challenging. But that's how you become mature. I feel Vishal sir has evolved a lot as a human being. As a filmmaker, he's always amazing."

O'Romeo releases in cinemas on February 13.

Anil Thadani attempts to club Toxic showcasing with Border 2; Exhibitors refuse deals due to Dhurandhar 2

It's another Friday, and another week of chaos for the exhibitors. While Border 2 is set to release on its own on January 23, it hasn't yet opened fully in all centers. This is making fans worried because nobody knows why the advance bookings aren't happening everywhere. a

Source looked into the issue by talking to exhibitors and found out the real story.

According to reliable sources, Bollywood Hungama learned that Anil Thadani is trying to have Border 2 and Toxic shown together during Eid 2026.

 He has asked for at least 50% of the showings for Toxic during that time, but this is conflicting with Dhurandhar 2. The exhibitors are not accepting this offer because they believe Dhurandhar 2 is a much more popular film and they don't want to split the audience. They are ready to support Border 2 fully, but not if it means missing out on Dhurandhar 2. Because of this, many centers haven’t opened their advance bookings yet. Anil and his team are trying to get a promise for Toxic, but the exhibitors have already made it clear that they won’t make any commitments that affect their plans for Eid 2026.

A trade insider says the exhibitors have told Anil to avoid scheduling Border 2 with Dhurandhar 2, because both are big hits.

 But they believe Dhurandhar 2 is the bigger draw and deserves to be shown alone for its sequel. "Toxic is also a strong film and should come out on its own. Conflicting with Dhurandhar 2 is not smart for business. Because of the clash in March, we are already in a tough spot in January. Border 2 should not be paired with Toxic at all, as they are different movies from different studios. We ask the makers to take action and fully open the advance bookings. It’s not fair to club Border 2 with Toxic," said an exhibitor to Bollywood Hungama.

As it stands, Border 2's advance booking has opened only at certain theaters, around 1500 screens, while many other centers are still waiting for the full rollout.

 Trade insiders say the situation is expected to be resolved soon, but exhibitors are firm that they won’t sign any future deals that interfere with their plans for Eid 2026. Everyone is now waiting for the involved parties to sort out this issue quickly.

Nidhi Dutta reveals, “Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, Ahan Shetty were FIRST choice for Border 2”; hints at paid negativity over Varun Dhawan: “He’s playing a Param Vir Chakra hero; I hope people show a little more respect for that”

Border 2 is ready to come out this Friday, January 23, and there's a lot of buzz, as shown by the ticket sales. In an exclusive chat with source, producer Nidhi Dutta talked about the casting, how the idea came about, and many other things.

Only four days are left until Border 2 is released.

 How do you feel?

I'm nervous, excited, and a bit anxious.

 I'm sure every producer goes through these feelings during the release week. Also, no matter what field you're in, if you're trying to do something similar to your parent, you feel extra pressure and responsibility. After all, you want to make your parent proud. That's the main feeling I have right now as I hope my dad feels proud of what we've done.

You are also the writer of Border 2.

 How did you get the idea?

I actually wrote the script exactly 3 years ago, on January 22, 2023.

 I remember the exact date because I have a voice note from that day. I must give credit where it's due. A couple of years back, the late Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, invited me and my dad (J P Dutta) for a meeting. He shared 22 stories about heroes from the Army, Navy, and Air Force who fought in the 1971 war. He wanted us to make movies about them. My dad said, "General sir, I am 71. Who will do this?" He pointed at me and said, "No problem, Dutta sir. She will do it!" He said it so casually, and I didn’t realize then that he was literally writing the future with his words.

Three months later, we lost him in a helicopter crash.

 It stayed in my mind that these stories needed to be told. It was a responsibility. Still, from those 22 stories, I picked 3-4. I didn’t decide to make Border 2 at that time. My main aim was to tell these stories on screen. These stories turned out to be from the 1971 war, the same war that the first part, Border, was about. That’s why it’s called Border 2—it's the same war, but we show different battles in the second part.

Earlier, it was common to make sequels or second parts of recent films.

 Gadar 2 (2023) changed that trend, as the first part had come out 22 years ago. Did the huge success of Gadar 2 give you the confidence to make Border 2?

Gadar 2 was released in August 2023, while I wrote Border 2 the same year in January.

 So, Border 2 was already in the works when Gadar 2 came out. Also, both films are very different. Gadar 2 was a continuation of the same story. Border 2 isn’t really a sequel. It's called Border 2 because the battles shown happen at the same time as the battles in the first part.

It was clear from the start that Sunny Deol would play the lead in Border 2.

 But how did Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Ahan Shetty join the cast? Were they the only choices?

Yes, they were the first choices for their roles.

 When I read about Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, who was the only Param Vir Chakra awardee in the Indian Air Force, the only person that came to my mind was Diljit. I was really happy that he joined the film. As for Varun, he was always in my mind. I remember my husband (Binoy Gandhi) messaged him about it when I had just written the script. Finally, when I wrote the character of the Naval officer, I knew it had to be Ahan. There's a certain way naval officers carry themselves, different from air force and army officers. Somehow, Ahan gave me the feeling that this was the role for him.

EXCLUSIVE: Nidhi Dutta reveals, "Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, Ahan Shetty were FIRST choice for Border 2"; hints at paid negativity over Varun Dhawan: "He's playing a Param Vir Chakra hero; I hope people show a little more respect for that"

My father always says, "We believe we are casting a war film.

 But we actually aren't. The heroes that they are playing, who are sitting up in heaven, are the ones who pick these actors!" My father believes that, and so do 

Varun Dhawan seems to have done a great job, but he has faced some criticism and mockery online. What are your thoughts? Do you think such trolling is unnecessary?

When you watch the film, you'll understand exactly what we're feeling.

 We've seen his performance and how hard he worked for it. As for online trolling, I think everyone has their own opinions. It's fine for them to have those opinions; I can't really comment on it. I don't know if it's true, but if certain people pay others to bring them down, I hope that doesn't happen in a country like ours. Varun portrays a Param Vir Chakra awardee, Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya. Because of that, I hope people don’t actually pay to bring someone like him down, as he's following in the footsteps of a real soldier. I hope people show a little more respect for that. Otherwise, people are entitled to their opinions. However, I feel the film and his performance will speak for themselves.

Has your father seen Border 2?

 Did he like it? I guess that must have been very important for you...  

For sure.

 For me, that was my acid test (laughs). To answer your question, he has seen the film. The conversation we had was very personal, which I won’t speak about. All I can say is that he kept crying and had tears in his eyes. That was my Oscar!

There have been reports that the star cast of the first Border (1997) – Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna and Sudesh Berry – will also be seen in Border 2 in cameos.

 Is that true?

I have no idea what you're talking about!

 I haven't heard these reports and so, I don't know.

What will you do on January 23, the day the film releases?

 Would you like to visit single-screen cinemas?

Of course.

 I am waiting to go to Gaiety-Galaxy. It means a lot to me to experience the audience reaction and also see the names in the credits roll. My father has always taught me that 'When you go and watch a film, no matter whose film it is, make sure you sit in your seat till the last credit rolls'. This is because the guy, whose name is mentioned in the very end, is probably the spot boy and he has worked the hardest on the film! This is where we come from. Hence, Friday holds a lot of emotion and expectation.

Since you have a bank of 22 tales from the late General Bipin Rawat, do you have any plans to make Border 3?

Yes, there would definitely be a Border 3, but we don't know as of now when it'll be made and which stories it will consist of.

 God willing, it will be made. God knows best!

2025’s Most Profitable Films: Dhurandhar rakes in Rs. 350 cr. profit; Saiyaara’s ROI 300% plus; Chhaava adds Rs. 280–300 cr. to Maddock’s kitty; Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat earns 2X its budget

2025 was a big year for Bollywood, full of surprises.

 The top three movies did better than people thought and made a lot of money, both from theaters and other sources. In this report, we’ll look at the 10 films that made a good profit and did well in 2025.  

1.

 Dhurandhar  

Budget: Rs. 475 crores  

Box Office: Rs. 1320 crores (expected)  

This film changed the game from the start.

 It was split into two parts a month before the release, which wasn’t the original plan. The hope was that both films together would bring in more profit. But the first part was so successful that it gave the film a huge start. The worldwide box office is expected to reach around Rs. 1320 crores, and the movie also made money from music sales, TV and OTT rights. Overall, the film made a profit of about Rs. 350 crores after subtracting the budget and distributor share, and including all other sources. Whatever the sequel brings in will only add to this big profit.

2.

 Saiyaara  

Budget: Rs. 60 crores  

Box Office: Rs. 579.23 crores  

Saiyaara was expected to make at most Rs. 100 crores in India.

 Instead, it made more than 5 times that, both in India and abroad. The love story, supported by strong music and good trailers, pulled in huge crowds, even though it had two new actors. The non-theatrical earnings added another Rs. 45 crores. Its ROI is over 300%, making it the highest ROI film of 2025 with a profit of about Rs. 250 crores.

3.

 Chhaava  

Budget: Rs. 140 crores  

Box Office: Rs. 797.34 crores  

This film starring Vicky Kaushal had a strong start and grew in popularity over time, especially in smaller towns and the northern regions.

 It became the second biggest hit of the year. Including money from non-theatrical sources, it made a profit of around Rs. 280 to 300 crores.

4.

 Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat  

Budget: Rs. 35 crores  

Box Office: Rs. 112.03 crores  

Harshvardhan Rane proved that Sanam Teri Kasam (2016) was no accident.

 This romantic drama was directed by Milap Zaveri and had strong dialogues. The movie opened well and became a hit due to its emotional appeal. The low budget helped, as it made back its cost from box office sales. After release, the OTT and satellite rights were sold, and it helped the makers get a good return. The film made about Rs. 75 crores, which is more than double its budget.

5.

 Raid 2  

Budget: Rs. 120 crores  

Box Office: Rs. 243.06 crores  

The sequel to the successful first film was a hit thanks to the topic, casting, intense action, and a catchy dance number by Tamannaah Bhatia.

 It also made a decent profit from non-theatrical sources, with a total profit of around Rs. 30–40 crores.

6.

 Sitaare Zameen Par  

Budget: Rs. 120 crores  

Box Office: Rs. 266.49 crores  

This film starring Aamir Khan started slowly, but once people knew he had made a special film, it took off.

 It made Rs. 266.49 crores globally, which is impressive given the topic and the changes in viewer preferences since the pandemic. Aamir chose to release it on YouTube on a pay-per-view basis instead of selling it to streaming platforms. According to trade sources, the film made a profit of around Rs. 20–30 crores. It would have made more had it sold the rights to a streaming service.

7.

 Tere Ishk Mein  

Budget: Rs. 90 crores  

Box Office: Rs. 148.5 crores  

This film belonged to the heartbroken man genre, which was very popular this year.

 The music and trailer created a lot of excitement, leading to a good opening. Without the competition from Dhurandhar, it could have made more, but it still was a success, earning a profit of about Rs. 15 crores.

8.

 Jolly LLB 3  

Budget: Rs. 120 crores  

Box Office: Rs. 166.06 crores  

This film brought together Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi, and people had high expectations.

 Despite that, it performed steadily at the box office and gave the makers a profit of around Rs. 5 crores.

9.

 Kesari Chapter 2  

Budget: Rs. 110 crores  

Box Office: Rs. 144.35 crores  

This film starring Akshay Kumar had an 'A' rating, and the word of mouth and powerful scenes brought in a big audience.

 It earned a profit of about Rs. 5 crores for the makers.

10.

 Jaat  

Budget: Rs. 80 crores  

Box Office: Rs. 119.24 crore 

The high budget and the big fees paid to lead actor Sunny Deol made the film "Semi Hit" instead of a full "Hit." The movie made about Rs. 5 crores in profit. However, it was still a big success for Sunny Deol, showing that Gadar 2 was not just a lucky hit and that he is back and ready to make more big movies.

Border 2 Box Office: Rs. 40 cr. opening loading! Border 2 advance bookings explode; 13,500 tickets gone in hours

Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Ahan Shetty are starring in Border 2, which is ready to hit the box office during the Republic Day 2026 weekend. Advance bookings started on Monday morning, and early signs show that the Sunny Deol-led war drama is already doing really well. By Monday at 6:00 PM, Border 2 had already sold 13,500 tickets in the top three national chains—PVRInox and Cinepolis. These sales happened very quickly, and the real excitement is expected to begin from now.

The early advance bookings are showing a strong opening for Border 2, possibly around Rs 40 crore, which sets up a great chance for the film to do even better during the extended Republic Day period.

 Border 2 is a sequel to the 1997 cult film, Border, and was always expected to have a strong response before its release.

The final advance for Border 2 is around 2.25 lakh, which is about 40% higher than the Hrithik Roshan and NTR-led War 2, which came out on Republic Day and opened at Rs 28.50 crore.

 This direct comparison is giving Border 2 a head start of around Rs 40 crore. The film is also expected to perform well in mass markets, which should help it achieve even better results.

Border 2 is expected to be the next big hit in the Hindi film industry after the December release, Dhurandhar.

Dhurandhar sequel titled Dhurandhar The Revenge; teaser passed by the CBFC with ‘A’ certificate

On January 18, source shared the news that the teaser for Dhurandhar 2 would be shown with the prints of Border 2. Now, here's another exciting update about the sequel. It has been officially named Dhurandhar The Revenge.

Today, on Monday, January 19, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) approved the teaser for Dhurandhar's sequel.

 The title listed on the censor certificate is Dhurandhar The Revenge. The teaser is more than a minute long. Also, it has received an 'A' certificate.

Yesterday, source shared a statement from a source who said, "Both Dhurandhar 2 and Border 2 are patriotic films, and the team at Jio Studios wants to take advantage of the popularity of such movies.

 The new part of the teaser from the end of the first part will be shown on the big screen first and then released digitally. For those who haven't seen it before, it's a big screen exclusive."

Dhurandhar also featured Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, and Sara Arjun.

 It was directed by Aditya Dhar, produced by Aditya Dhar and Lokesh Dhar's B62 Studios, and Jyoti Deshpande's Jio Studios. The first part of the story followed an Indian spy who infiltrated a dangerous gang in Karachi, Pakistan, and caused chaos. The sequel is expected to continue this story.

Dhurandhar started slowly but gained a lot of popularity through word of mouth.

 As of January 18, it has earned Rs. 879.75 crores and is now the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time. Therefore, there are high hopes for Dhurandhar The Revenge, and it is expected to do well at the box office. Interestingly, Dhurandhar The Revenge is set to release exactly two months from now, on March 19.