Sonu Nigam responds to Javed Akhtar’s ‘creative bankruptcy’ remark on 'Border 2' music: 'If Border is a soldier, Sandese Aate Hain is his uniform'

'Border 2' is out in the theatres and it brings back a lot of old feelings. The film stars Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Ahan Shetty. As we all know it is a spiritual sequel to the 1997 film 'Border' and one thing that touched many hearts again is the song Sandese Aate Hain. Sonu Nigam has returned to sing the song, keeping the same soul while adding some new words. He is also joined by Arijit Singh, Diljit Dosanjh, and Vishal Singh. The new lyrics are written by Manoj Muntashir.



In a recent video the 'Kal Ho Na Ho' singer reacted to Javed Akhtar's remarks on recreating songs in 'Border 2'.

Sonu Nigam looks back at his long Border journey

In an Instagram video, Sonu Nigam spoke straight to his fans. He shared a personal moment from his life. He said, "I went to Border premiere for the first time in 1997. And now in 2026, I'm standing at the premiere of Border 2. I had never thought this beautiful journey would go on for so many years. You gave me so much love, and I'm thankful for that."


He also spoke about what Border means as a film series. Sonu said the film is based on real stories and not imagination. He said, "Border is a franchise that reveals true stories and not fiction. These are stories of our country and our soldiers, and stories of our victory."



He added that the team worked with full heart. "Our producers, director, and actors have made it with a lot of dedication. We even paid attention to its music." Sonu ended by saying, "The war that we won in reality many years ago, we will win again through Border 2."

Javed Akhtar’s remark and Sonu Nigam’s calm reply

A few days ago Javed Akhtar spoke about recreating old songs. Talking to India Today he strongly criticised the trend and called it "intellectual and creative bankruptcy." He also shared that he refused to write new lyrics for Sandese Aate Hain in Border 2.

Sonu Nigam has reacted with respect and calm. In his video, he said, "Yes, Javed sir is absolutely right in saying that it is not good to bring back old songs." But he also explained why this song had to stay. "But if Border is a soldier, Sandese Aate Hain is his uniform. We can't imagine Border without the song."

Nigam spoke warmly about Javed Akhtar and said, "He's our elder, our guru." Sonu added that new songs are important too and shared, "As Javed sir said, we must make new songs." He also mentioned, "He'd be so happy to know that Mitte Ke Bete is the gift from Border 2 to our soldiers and every Indian."

Music, emotions, and how 'Border 2' feels overallThe music of 'Border 2' tries to touch the heart again. Songs like Ghar Kab Aaoge aim to become new patriotic favorites. The background music supports both emotion and action. At the same time, our ETimes official review says that the film has its weak spots as some battle scenes feel long. and a few emotional moments feel familiar. Compared to modern war films with heavy visuals, Border 2 looks simple, according to ETimes official review.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”