New Delhi. The career of veteran Bollywood actor Sunny Deol is once again at its peak. The explosive comeback of ‘Gadar 2’ has given him the success again after almost 22 years in the industry, for which he was seen working hard continuously. His film ‘Jaat’ also got a lot of love from the audience and became a super hit at the box office. Now his most awaited film of 2026 ‘Border 2’ is going to hit the theaters on January 23, but this film is being discussed not only for its story or patriotism, but also for its skyrocketing budget and huge fees for the star cast.

1997’s ‘Border’ vs 2026’s ‘Border 2’: When JP Dutta made ‘Border’ in 1997, it was one of the most expensive films of Indian cinema. At that time the total budget of the film was around Rs 10 crore. In that Rs 10 crore, real tanks, real fighter jets and a large number of army units were used. Today, after almost 29 years, the scale of ‘Border 2′ has completely changed. The estimated budget of the film is said to be between Rs 250 to 300 crores. This means that the budget of the film has increased by almost 3000%. In today’s era, VFX, special effects and artists’ fees have completely changed the mathematics of budget.

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Sunny Deol: Fee increased by more than 4000%: Sunny Deol was one of the top stars of Bollywood at the time of ‘Border’ (1997). If reports are to be believed, he had taken a fee of around Rs 1 to 2 crore for that film. But the success of ‘Gadar 2’ and ‘Jatt’ changed Sunny Deol’s brand value overnight.

The news of Sunny Deol’s fees for ‘Border 2’ is shocking. It is being said that Sunny Deol has signed a fixed fee plus profit sharing agreement of more than Rs 50 crore for this film. Even if we look at only fixed fees, this is an increase of more than 4000% compared to 1997. This fee shows how much the power of ‘Major Kuldeep Singh’ is dominating the box office after ‘Tara Singh’.

Ahan Shetty and Sunil Shetty: Sunil Shetty sacrificed his life by playing the character of ‘Bhairav ​​Singh’ in ‘Border’. His performance is still remembered in farewell songs and patriotic stories. Sunil Shetty had taken a fee of a few lakh rupees at that time, but the entry of his son Ahan Shetty in ‘Border 2’ has given a new twist to this legacy.

Ahan Shetty will not only try to fill his father’s shoes, but has also left his father’s record far behind in terms of fees. According to media reports, Ahaan is reported to be getting a fee between Rs 3 to 5 crore for this film, which is the biggest amount in his career. It will be interesting to see whether Ahaan will be able to create the same ‘Bhairav ​​Singh’ magic on screen?

Fees of Varun Dhawan and other star cast: ‘Border 2’ is being taken forward not only with the help of old memories but also with the help of new age stardom. The entry of Varun Dhawan has further expanded the market of the film. Varun is charging Rs 25-30 crore for this film. At the same time, the presence of Diljit Dosanjh has doubled the earning potential of the film in Punjab and overseas markets. The total fees of the entire star cast of the film is at least 10 times more than the total budget of 1997’s ‘Border’.

Why has the cost increased so much?: Fees are not the only reason for increasing the budget. In the 1997 film, JP Dutta had shot on real locations, but in ‘Border 2’ modern war will be shown. Today’s audience wants ‘Hollywood’ level action. For this, about 20-30% of the film’s budget is being spent on VFX only. In today’s times, the promotion budget of a film is bigger than the budget of the entire film of 1997. The film’s director Anurag Singh is preparing to release ‘Border 2’ internationally, due to which the cost of production has increased.

Box Office Expectations: According to the latest data of January 20, 2026, Sunny Deol’s credibility is currently at its highest level. ‘Border 2’ is releasing on January 23, which means the film is going to get the long weekend of Republic Day. Trade analysts believe that the film can make an opening of more than Rs 50 crore on the first day itself. If the film performs like ‘Gadar 2’, it can cross the Rs 500-600 crore mark, which will easily recover its huge budget and artist fees.

Let us tell you, ‘Border’ was a film of emotions, whereas ‘Border 2’ is a big business model along with emotions. Sunny Deol’s 4000% increased fees is proof that ‘old is gold’, but the price of weighing that gold is very high in today’s market. For Ahan Shetty, this film is an opportunity to prove himself, while for Sunny Deol, it is a battle to maintain his dominance. On January 23, when the slogans of ‘Hindustan Zindabad’ will echo in the theatres, only then will it be known how meaningful this increased budget and the huge fees of the stars have been.