Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 15, 2012)

JP Dutta, whose last film was Umrao Jaan in 2006, is ready with not one, but two projects back to back. Today, Independence Day marks a resurgence of patriotism for Dutta, who plans to shoot Border 2 and Border 3 one after the other.

Confirming the news, Dutta told Mirror, “I am working on both Border 2 and Border 3. But I can’t reveal much about them right now. I’ve to sort out certain vital issues before I can go public with my plans. But yes, it’s August 15 and I remember my late brother Deepak who was in the air force. All my war films are dedicated to him.”

A source close to the filmmaker however, revealed, “JP hasn’t directed a film in a long time. He had been struggling to put together two war epics – Border 2 and 3. Also, he lost his father P Dutta last year. Thus far, the senior Dutta had been writing all his films. With him gone, JP had to find his way through the lives of the many characters that will be a part of the two Border films. Each film is budgeted at approximately Rs 65 crore.”

A larger issue was acquiring the necessary permissions from the Ministry Of Defence.

Dutta’s close friend revealed, “He has been busy traveling to Delhi and meeting ministers and Defence officers for the last two years. JP needs to shoot the films in war sensitive areas. He will require army equipment. And thus the support of the Defence ministry was necessary. He’s finally got the approval.”

With everything in place, Dutta will start shooting Border 2 this winter. The filmmaker’s friend told us that the cast would comprise of known faces as well as newcomers.

Suniel Shetty and Abhishek Bachchan, who have been a part of Dutta’s earlier ventures, are expected to carry the Border saga forward. In fact, we learnt that even Ranbir Kapoor was keen on being a part of the film.

LINK

http://fenilandbollywood.com/2012/08/15/jp-dutta-to-shoot-two-sequels-to-border/