War veteran Bhairo Singh Rathore, portrayed by Suniel Shetty in ‘Border’, meets Amit Shah

Bhairo Singh Rathore with Amit Shah, Suniel Shetty in 'Border'

Jaisalmer (Rajasthan), Dec 5: Bhairo Singh Rathore, the 1971 Indo-Pak war hero of Longewala, who was portrayed by Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty in the movie ‘Border’, on Sunday, met the Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Jaisalmer.
On meeting the war veteran, Shah took to his Twitter handle and wrote, “I was privileged to meet the 1971 war hero Bhairo Singh Rathore, who was posted at Longewala during the war, in Jaisalmer today. Your valour and love for the motherland has created history and immense reverence in the hearts of the countrymen. I bow down to you.”
‘Border’, a fictionalised account of the Indo-Pak war, released in 1997, showed Shetty portraying the role of Bhairon Singh as an Assistant Commandant, striking a chord of patriotism with the masses.
However, Bhairon Singh, who was shown to be a martyr in the movie, in reality, was a Lance Naik in BSF and after the war was even awarded Sena Medal in 1972 by the then Rajasthan CM Barkatullah Khan, for his exemplary service.
The film by noted writer and producer-director JP Datta had depicted the war of Longewala where 21 brave soldiers, including Bhairo Singh, were involved in serving the nation with glory.
The Union Home Minister was in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer today to address the 57th Raising Day of BSF. He is on a two-day visit to Rajasthan. (AGENCIES)