Bollywood war movies that left the audience with teary eyes: 'Border', 'Shershaah', and more

The impact of war, the lives lost in it, and the families waiting for their brave loved ones' return can't be depicted. However, cinema over the years has been instrumental in bringing the sacrifice of the brave soldiers to the big screen. Packed with the valour of real heroes, these movies are known to evoke a river of emotions, leaving the audience with teary eyes. The 1997 J.P. Dutta film tops the list! With a powerful ensemble cast, including Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, and Akshaye Khanna, the storyline of ‘Border’ is based on the real-life Battle of Longewala during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The film deeply moved viewers with its portrayal of soldiers' bravery and their emotional goodbyes. The climax of the film is what fills the hearts with loads of emotions. As dawn approaches for the intense final hours of the battle, courageous charges of soldiers and heroic sacrifices take on viewers’ emotions, and finally, as the Air Support arrives, the film concludes with a mix of victory and profound sorrow. J.P. Dutta is a man of patriotic war films. His 2003 war film ‘LOC: Kargil’ is known for its raw, detailed, and emotional depiction of the 1999 Kargil War. The film attempts to portray multiple real-life military operations and the emotional journeys of soldiers captured by Pakistani forces along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. ‘LOC: Kargil’ stars Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Suniel Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Akshaye Khanna, Manoj Bajpayee, Nagarjuna, and Sanjay Kapoor, among others.The ending of ‘LOC: Kargil’ shows the successful recapture of peaks like Tiger Hill, after the emotional sacrifices, with the Indian flag being raised after intense battles.The 2004 Farhan Akhtar-directed war drama shows the personal journey of a soldier against the backdrop of the Kargil War. The film stars Hrithik Roshan as Karan Shergill and follows the transformation of the carefree youth into a courageous soldier in the Indian Army. Preity Zinta plays Romila Dutta, an ambitious journalist and Karan’s love interest.Even if ‘Lakshya’ is a coming-of-age story, it portrays the emotional toll and lasting impression of being on the battlefield. The ending features the high-stakes mission to recapture Peak 5179. The film ends with a directionless youngster becoming a war hero.The 2019 Aditya Dhar film is a military action drama inspired by the 2016 Uri attack and the Indian Army’s retaliatory operation. Starring Vicky Kaushal in the lead role as Major Vihaan Singh Shergill, the film follows a special forces unit as they plan and execute a high-risk mission to strike militant camps after the Uri attack. Beyond the intense action, the film struck an emotional chord with its depiction of avenging fallen soldiers.‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ depicts the successful execution of the high-risk mission in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The rage that was left from the 2016 attack had viewers engaged to understand how the Indian Army retaliated. Released in 2021, Shershaah is a biographical war drama based on the life of Vikram Batra, a hero of the Kargil War. Starring Siddhart Malhotra as Vikram Batra and Kiara Advani as Dimple Cheema, his love interest, follows Batra’s journey from a young, ambitious man to a fearless Indian Army officer who played a crucial role in capturing strategic actions during the Kargil war. The film has a heart-wrenching climax with the portrayal of emotional sacrifice. It covers the capture of Point 4875 and the final moments of Captain Vikram Batra. The film concludes with the bittersweet visual of his funeral in Palampur and his grieving fiancée, Dimple.