There’s not a moment to rest for Varun Dhawan, who is in the war zone. Well, only cinematically. While we are aware that Sunny Deol is reprising his role of Major Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri from Border (1997), Diljit Dosanjh plays Air Force Officer Nirmal Singh Sekhon, and Ahan Shetty portrays a Naval Commander in the Anurag Singh-directed film Border 2, Dhawan’s character had remained under wraps until now. An insider informs us that he will play Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, who received the Param Vir Chakra for his bravery and was promoted to Colonel after the 1971 Indo-Pak war in 1976.

Before the shoot kicked off in the second week of January in Jhansi, Madhya Pradesh, Dhawan had physically prepared for the shoot over two months. “Apart from holding look sessions with designer Sheetal Sharma, Varun met Indian officers, celebrated Army Day with them and [in conversations] tried to gain a deeper understanding of their lives,” said a source, adding that the cast and crew prepped for a year before going on floors. “Varun’s scenes will begin with his departure from Sisana village in Haryana, joining the army, to his journey in the Indo-Pak war.”