Border 2: Army officer deployed to guide Varun Dhawan in his portrayal of a jawan

Varun Dhawan with the soldiers at the Babina Cantonment

War is on Varun Dhawan's mind these days. Last month, mid-day had reported that the actor would kick off the shoot of Border 2 in January (Soldiers gear up for battle, December 7). Sure enough, he commenced work on Anurag Singh's directorial venture from January 10 at Babina Cantonment in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. While his co-stars Sunny Deol, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty are yet to join the shoot, mid-day has learnt that a critical figure on the set is an Army officer, who has been brought in to ensure authenticity in the movie's depiction of the Indian Armed Forces.

Varun Dhawan celebrated Army Day yesterday

Sources tell us that in the film's early stages, Singh and producer-writer Nidhi Dutta requested the Indian Army's support as they wanted it to be an authentic retelling of a chapter from the 1971 India-Pakistan war. A source from the creative team reveals, "At the pre-production stage, the Army appointed an officer to supervise and approve the uniforms being designed by Sheetal Sharma so that they are accurate in terms of the designation and the period. When the shoot began last week, another officer was deployed to guide Varun in his portrayal of a jawan. He ensured that the actor's gait, manner of speaking and body language are in keeping with the disciplined approach of soldiers. He is also training the cast members in artillery use. Varun, Nidhi and Anurag met the Station Commander yesterday. The Army officers are enabling a smooth shoot." In the sequel to JP Dutta's blockbuster Border (1997), Dhawan plays an Army officer from Uttarakhand. "Varun has picked up the local dialect, in keeping with his character. While Diljit essays the role of an Air Force officer, Sunny is an Army Major and Ahan, a Navy commander," adds the source.

Sunny Deol and Diljit Dosanjh

After a fortnight's shoot in Babina Cantonment, the director will lead the unit to Gwalior for the second schedule. "Sunny, Diljit, and Ahan will join Varun in February. They will shoot the major war sequences during this leg, which will go on till March. The action is designed by Nick Powell, who worked on The Bourne Identity [2002] and Kalki 2898 AD [2024]. The characters' back-stories will be filmed in another schedule."