Ahan Shetty Finds Success With Border 2 Sequel 

Ahan Shetty talks about his emotional journey from watching his father in Border to starring in Border 2.

Ahan Shetty’s Emotional Journey

Can you ever truly separate a film from your family history when your father’s “death” is a national holiday tradition?

For Ahan Shetty, Border wasn’t just a movie; it was a ritual. Every Republic Day and Independence Day, he watched his father, Suniel Shetty, sacrifice his life in a blaze of glory as Bhairon Singh Rathore.

As a child, that scene sparked genuine anger and pain. Today, as Ahan basks in the massive success of Border 2, that childhood trauma has been forged into professional inspiration.

The Naval Pivot 

In Border 2, Ahan doesn’t try to replicate his father’s iconic desert boots. Instead, he takes to the sea as Mahendra Singh Rawat, an officer in the Indian Navy’s 14th Frigate Squadron.

While the film brings back the “OG” Sunny Deol, it is the fresh energy of Ahan, Varun Dhawan, and Diljit Dosanjh that has revitalized the franchise.

The response has been overwhelming, but the journey to this point was anything but smooth. Between his 2021 debut in Tadap and this release, Ahan went through a “difficult phase” marked by restrictive contracts and the global pandemic.

He spent four years in a professional limbo—a period he describes as “not easy,” yet one that clearly added a layer of maturity to his performance.

The Silent Screening 

Success, when it finally arrived, was an emotional explosion for the Shetty household. Interestingly, while the world was cheering in theaters, Suniel Shetty and Athiya Shetty were too nervous to even enter the screening room. They sat outside, waiting for the verdict.

“Dad was trying to hold himself together, but his emotions were clearly visible,” Ahan shared. For a father who set the benchmark for war films in India, seeing his son carry that mantle was a moment of profound release.

The Power of the “Letters” 

While the action sequences in Border 2 are high-octane, Ahan points to the “letters scene” and the martyrdom of Diljit Dosanjh as the film’s true soul. There is a specific psychological weight to the ending, where the entire cast comes forward to the strains of Teri Mitti.

For Ahan, this wasn’t just a scene; it was a bridge to the audience’s hearts. He admitted that even though he knew the script inside out, seeing Diljit’s character fall made his own eyes well up on screen.

Counter-Intuitive Takeaways:

• Humor is a War Tool: The “punishment scenes” in the first half—improvised and fun—are what make the eventual tragedy hit harder. You have to love the characters as friends before you can mourn them as heroes.
• Self-Criticism is Fuel: Ahan’s admission that he is “very critical” of himself explains why he didn’t lean on his father’s shadow, but instead fought to find a “truth and honesty” unique to his own style.
• The Wait was Worth It: The four-year gap between films created a “sense of responsibility” that a rapid-fire succession of movies might have diluted.

What’s Next for Ahan Shetty? 

The actor isn’t staying in the barracks for long. He has already signed three major projects for 2026:

1. A collaboration with director Shaad Ali.
2. A high-profile project with Reliance.
3. A venture into the horror genre, proving he’s ready to step far beyond the battlefield.

Key Statistical Highlights:

• 4 years: The gap between Ahan’s debut (Tadap) and Border 2.
• 14th Frigate Squadron: The specific Indian Navy unit Ahan represents in the sequel.
• 3 films: The number of new projects Ahan has already signed following the success of Border 2.