Sonu Nigam defends Sandese Aate Hain in Border 2 amid Javed Akhtar’s ‘creative bankruptcy’ remark: ‘Can’t imagine…’

After much anticipation and excitement, Border 2 has finally hit the theatres. From the nostalgia of its 1997 blockbuster to its patriotic fervour, fans were very excited to witness the magic of this film on the big screen. But amid this excitement, a long-standing debate on the return of Sandese Aate Hain around nostalgia versus originality in Hindi cinema has been rekindled. The debate escalated when lyricist Javed Akhtar openly criticised the trend of recreating classic tracks, calling it “intellectual and creative bankruptcy.” Now original singer Sonu Nigam has also reacted to the same.

What was said by Javed Akhtar?

When lyricist Javed Akhtar publicly criticised the practice of recreating classic songs, calling it “intellectual and creative bankruptcy,” the controversy intensified. Sonu Nigam, the original singer, has now responded to the same.

Co-producer Bhushan Kumar later addressed this as well, explaining that keeping the song was essential to the emotional identity of the movie.

Sonu Nigam responds with respect and perspective

Now responding to Javed Akhtar’s remarks, Sonu Nigam said, “Yes, Javed sir is absolutely right in saying that it is not good to bring back old songs. But if Border is a soldier, Sandese Aate Hain is his uniform. We can’t imagine Border without the song,”

A song reborn as ‘Ghar Kab Aaoge’

Sonu, who originally provided Sandese Aate Hain’s voice, has re-recorded the song for the follow-up under the new title Ghar Kab Aaoge. Manoj Muntashir wrote new lyrics for the song that maintain the same emotional core. This soundtrack features vocals by Arijit Singh, Diljit Dosanjh, and Vishal Singh.

Sonu Nigam on Border 2

Speaking about Border 2, Sonu said, “Border is a franchise that reveals true stories and not fiction. These are stories of our country and our soldiers, and stories of our victory.” He added that the makers paid special attention to the music, saying, “The war that we won in reality many years ago, we will win again through Border 2.”

A journey that began in 1997

Before the film’s release, Sonu shared a video message on Instagram, speaking about Border 2. He said, “I went to the Border premiere for the first time in 1997. And now in 2026, I’m standing at the premiere of Border 2. I had never thought this beautiful journey would go on for so many years.”

About Border 2

Directed by Anurag Singh, Border 2 is a sequel to J.P. Dutta’s landmark 1997 war film Border. It stars Ahan Shetty, Diljit Dosanjh, Varun Dhawan, and Sunny Deol. Alongside his daughter Nidhi Dutta, J.P. Dutta is back as co-producer.