Actor Suniel Shetty has weighed in on comparisons between the 1997 war epic Border and its upcoming sequel Border 2, saying such parallels do a disservice to both films.

“Impact or emotion—we cannot compare. Just like you cannot compare Suniel Shetty with Ahan Shetty, in the same way you cannot compare ‘Border’ and ‘Border 2’. You can never compare because comparison is unfair,” Shetty told PTI.

Shetty played Captain Bhairon Singh in J.P. Dutta’s Border, a film based on real incidents from the 1971 India–Pakistan war that went on to achieve cult status. The film starred Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, Akshaye Khanna, Sudesh Berry and Puneet Issar.

The sequel, Border 2, is being directed by Anurag Singh and features Sunny Deol alongside Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty.

According to Shetty, cinema audiences have evolved with social media now shaping how films are perceived and judged.

“A lot has changed. The audience has changed. Today, audiences watch cinema more critically. Earlier, people watched films more emotionally and went to theatres for the film itself. Social media has come in, and a lot of beating happens there. So, I only hope the film receives love,” he said.

The film also marks Ahan Shetty’s return to theatres after Tadap (2021). Calling the opportunity important, Shetty said his son has earned respect on set through his own efforts.

“Getting this opportunity for Ahan is superb. Everyone has treated him like a younger brother, which is a beautiful thing. Ahan comes back and only talks about how Diljit, Sunny paaji, and Varun have treated him, and that is very satisfying for a father,” he said.

Shetty stressed that Ahan’s career choice was self-driven and not influenced by him.

“Ahan wanted to become an actor; that’s why he became one. He didn’t become an actor because Suniel wanted him to. His journey has been tough—it hasn’t been easy. After ‘Tadap’, today ‘Border 2’ is about to release. The love he is receiving is because of his effort; it has nothing to do with me. It’s a tear-jerker for me. I’m happy that today the conversations are about him,” he added.

The senior actor believes Border 2 could even surpass the original’s box office performance.

Sharing his thoughts on the current state of the film industry, Shetty said the post-pandemic phase has been particularly difficult but predicted a turnaround starting next year.

“I want films like ‘Dhurandhar’, ‘Border’, then another ‘Border’, and another ‘Dhurandhar’ to keep getting made. If even one film becomes a hit every week, the stature of our industry will return. So many people depend on this industry for jobs. We’ve been through a tough two to four years. After the pandemic, there was another kind of pandemic—less work and films not working. From 2026 onwards, I see a golden period for cinema,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shetty will also appear as a host and mentor on Bharat Ke Super Founders, an entrepreneurial reality series highlighting founders from small towns and diverse backgrounds. The show streams from January 16, 2026, on Amazon MX Player across multiple platforms.