| War | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Siddharth Anand |
| Screenplay by | Shridhar Raghavan Siddharth Anand |
| Dialogues by | Abbas Tyrewala |
| Story by | Aditya Chopra Siddharth Anand |
| Produced by | Aditya Chopra |
| Starring | Hrithik Roshan Tiger Shroff Vaani Kapoor Ashutosh Rana |
| Cinematography | Benjamin Jasper |
| Edited by | Aarif Sheikh |
| Music by |
|
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Yash Raj Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 156 minutes[1][2] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi/English |
| Budget | ₹170 crore[3] |
| Box office | ₹475.62 crore[4] |
War is a 2019 IndianHindi-languageaction thriller film directed bySiddharth Anand and produced byAditya Chopra underYash Raj Films. The third installment in theYRF Spy Universe, it starsHrithik Roshan andTiger Shroff in the lead roles, withVaani Kapoor andAshutosh Rana. In the film, an IndianRAW agent is assigned to eliminate his former mentor who has gone rogue.
Principal photography commenced in September 2018.Tentatively titledFighters, the title ofWar was announced on 15 July 2019. The film was made on an estimated budget of₹150 crore (US$18 million) with a further₹20 crore (US$2.4 million) spent on print and advertising.Vishal–Shekhar composed the soundtrack, with the background score composed bySanchit Balhara andAnkit Balhara, replacing Anand's frequent collaboratorsSalim–Sulaiman.
War was theatrically released on 2 October 2019, with dubbed versions ofTelugu andTamil, coinciding withGandhi Jayanti.[5] It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise towards its action sequences, visuals, direction, cinematography, story, soundtrack, and cast performances, but criticism towards its screenplay.[6] It emerged as a commercial success grossing₹4.75 billion (US$67.45 million), becoming thehighest-grossing Indian film of 2019.[7] A sequel titledWar 2 was released in 2025.
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InNew Delhi,Major Kabir Dhaliwal is assigned to assassinate an Iraqi terrorist namedFarid Haqqani, but instead kills veteranRAW agent V. K. Naidu declaring himself rogue.Defence Minister Sherna Patel andColonel Sunil Luthra assign Kabir's former studentCaptain Khalid Rahmani to eliminate him.
In a flashback, Khalid Rahmani yearns to join Kabir's squad, but is initially rejected due to Khalid's fatherMajor Abdul Rahmani betraying the army in a previous mission, leaving Kabir with two gunshot wounds and his partner dead. After being persuaded by Luthra, Kabir is openly hostile towards Khalid and reluctantly agrees to let Khalid join his team. The squad consists of agents Saurabh, Prateek, Muthu and Aditi.
The team goes on a successful mission inTikrit,Iraq to kill Haqqani's associates and are able to arrest a terrorist named Basheer Hassib, causing their main target Rizwan Ilyasi, a terrorist turned businessman to come out of hiding. Despite the mission's success, Kabir notices that Khalid missed many of his targets from his right side and lacksperipheral vision, leading to Kabir threatening Khalid for removal from his squad. Khalid reveals that as a result of his father's betrayal, his eyesight was partially damaged due to a bullying incident in his childhood. Seeing his love for his mother and country, Khalid gains Kabir's trust and gets reinstated. The team captures Ilyasi in a mission inMarrakesh, during which Ilyasi informs Kabir that he planted a mole within the team. Saurabh reveals himself as the mole and kills Prateek and Muthu. A shootout ensues between Kabir and one of Ilyasi's men. Kabir gets shot in neck and wakes up in a hospital. Few days later, he meets an injured Khalid who tells him that he killed Saurabh.
In the present, Khalid is nearly taken off the mission until Lt. Col. Jimmy Shroff is brutally killed by Kabir, who intercepts Khalid on a metro, revealing his next target to be Dr. Uptal Biswas inLisbon. Khalid fails to prevent Biswas from being killed by Kabir, leading to his suspension. Khalid tracks down Kabir through a previous mission, where he learns that six months ago, Kabir was on a covert operation to find a government hard drive with secret codes and was targeting Ilyasi's known associates. Khalid also learns that Kabir faked a relationship with a dancer namedNaina Sahni in Italy in order for her to spy on Firoze Contractor, Ilyasi's manager. Naina, who agreed terms to act as a spy for Kabir on the condition that her daughter Ruhi be provided for, was ultimately killed by Firoze, shortly after Kabir deduced that Firoze was in fact a disguised Ilyasi, having undergone plastic surgery. Kabir has since faked betrayal to catch Ilyasi's moles and agents, the truth only known to Aditi; this is why he killed Naidu, Shroff and Biswas. Kabir and Khalid agree to work with each other, but Kabir's hideout is attacked; and the duo flee to Kerala where they attend Aditi's wedding and recover a hard drive with the codes. Aditi tells Kabir the codes are for nuclear missiles targeted towards the Brahma satellite which is what helps the Indian government communicate towards all the agencies including the soldiers on active duty in the Kashmir border. She tells him that Ilyasi plans to destroy the satellite to cut off all communication with the soldiers so that terrorists can unexpectedly cross the border without the soldiers being warned and can cause an attack at India worse than anything Osama or ISIS ever did. Kabir hands the drive to Khalid for safekeeping.
While celebrating the mission's success on a houseboat, Khalid poisons Kabir's drink with TTX, revealing, in a shocking twist, that he is in fact, Saurabh. In a flashback to the Marrakesh mission, upon learning Saurabh's true colors, a fight between Khalid and Saurabh ensued. In the midst, Ilyasi shot Khalid in the back multiple times before being stabbed by Saurabh, killing him. Saurabh informed Ilyasi of his troubles regarding the plan and Ilyasi, in turn, brought Saurabh to Dr. Mallika Singhal, a renowned plastic surgeon, to change his identity to Khalid so Kabir wouldn't know the truth; Mallika changed Saurabh's vocal cords and adjusted his face, making Saurabh's scars alone visible to give the impression of being an injured Khalid. After Saurabh reveals his true identity to Kabir, he throws a weakened Kabir into the river.
In the Arctic Circle, Saurabh returns to Ilyasi who is located on an icebreaker ship. Kabir arrives in a parachute onto the ship, and kills Ilyasi's men. Kabir confronts a shocked Saurabh for his betrayal and reveals to him that he knew his true identity all along, after having seen him shoot perfectly from his right side, which Khalid couldn't due to his eye defect, and drinking alcohol, something Khalid abstained from owing to his religious beliefs. Aditi had provided Kabir with an antidote for the poison after seeing "Khalid" visit office despite suspension and noticing a sample of TTX missing and inserted a GPS tracker in the drive, when handing it over to Saurabh for safekeeping so that he can use it to track him and Ilyasi. Saurabh then gloats saying the Brahma satellite is about to be destroyed only to be revealed that the coordinates have changed and are steering away from the satellite. A shocked Illyasi and Saurabh learn from Kabir that the missile is approaching the ship itself. Kabir then holds Ilyasi at gunpoint threatening Saurabh to drop his gun only for him to betray Ilyasi. Saurabh kills Ilyasi and escapes to a derelict church, while being chased by Kabir in an intense car chase after he had escaped previously from the ship before the missile blew it up. A fight occurs and Kabir walks out after killing Saurabh by getting him crushed under the falling church dome, destroying his face once again, as Kabir implores he doesn't want a traitor like Saurabh to die with a martyred Khalid's face.
Khalid is posthumously honoured for his sacrifice, while his mother Nafeesa receives an award from thePrime Minister on his behalf. Kabir later meets up with Luthra, who is revealed to be aware of his defection; the former informs the latter he is better off working outside the system since everybody seems to have a price for him. Later, Kabir and Ruhi surf together atBondi Beach inSydney, fulfilling Naina's wish of surfing with her, while Luthra calls him to complete an incomplete mission of killing Haqqani.
OnYash Chopra's birth anniversary and following the success ofEk Tha Tiger (2012),Yash Raj Films announced a new action film starringHrithik Roshan andTiger Shroff.[8]Vaani Kapoor was finalised to play the female lead.[9][10] Action Choreographers, Paul Jennings and Se-Oh Yeong were employed to design the action sequences.[11]
The climax scene of the film was shot on theArctic Circle; the first Indian film to do so.[12] Siddharth Anand, the director of the film stated, "We want to push the benchmark of action movies that are made in our country. So, we are bringing two of the biggest action choreographers together to design some of the most outlandish and visually-spectacular sequences. On one hand, we have Andy R Armstrong from Hollywood and on the other, we have Mr SeaYoung Oh, who is an outstanding martial arts action choreographer from South Korea."[11]
Principal photography began in the second week of September 2018.[13] The film also had a dance off between the two stars in the song "Jai Jai Shivshankar".[14] The film schedule was wrapped up in the beginning of March 2019.[15] The film was shot in multiple exotic locations acrossDelhi,Uttarakhand,Kerala,Portugal,Italy (Amalfi,Capri,Positano,Matera),[16][17]Finland,Sweden,Georgia andAustralia.[18][19] The bike chase sequence between the two stars was filmed in Portugal.[20] The car chase sequence which was the climax of the film was shot at theArctic Circle.[21]
The music of the film is composed byVishal–Shekhar, while lyrics are written byKumaar in his first formal collaboration withYash Raj Films. All themes are composed bySanchit Balhara andAnkit Balhara, who replaced directorSiddharth Anand's frequent collaboratorsSalim-Sulaiman.[22]
A teaser for the film was displayed through roadblock advertising on theStar India network, sparking speculations that this was due to Roshan's and Shroff's recent satellite deals and associations with the television network. However, it was later revealed that the network and Yash Raj Films had struck a longterm deal, with earlier YRF titles also slowly finding their way to the network.[23]
The film was released on 2 October 2019, coinciding withGandhi Jayanti.[24]
War opened with collection of₹53.35 crore on its first day. It was the highest opening day collection for aHindi film.[7] On its second day, it collected₹24.35 crore. On the third day, it collected₹22.45 crore, taking its total collection to₹100.15 crore.[25]War created six new records as the film reached to₹100 crore mark at the box-office.[26] The film entered the100 Crore Club in three days of its release.[27] The extended opening weekend collection of the film at₹166.25 crore is the highest opening weekend collection for any 2019 Bollywood film.[28] The film by crossing₹200 crore in its opening week has become the fastest Bollywood film of 2019 to achieve the feat.[29]
With a domestic gross of₹318.01 crore and₹157.61 crore from overseas, the film grossed₹475.62 crore worldwide.[30] It was thehighest-grossing Indian film of 2019.[27][31]
War received generally positive reviews from critics; on thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 71% based on 17 reviews, with anaverage rating of 5.2/10.[32]
Among positive reviews, Anupama Chopra said "War is a popcorn entertainer and you can't ask too many questions but if you're willing to suspend disbelief, the twists and turns exert a solid grip."[33] A writer forBollywood Hungama gave the film four stars out of five, and said "War is an action entertainer which has style as well as enough twists and turns to keep the viewers engrossed. At the box office, the extended weekend, dazzling action, stunning international locales and stylish execution will ensure mammoth footfalls for the film".[34]Taran Adarsh gave it four stars out of five and called the film "[e]scapist cinema at its best".[35]Komal Nahta ofFilm Information opined, "The film could prove to be the starting of a new franchise for the Yash Raj Films banner".[36] Writing forIndia TV, Sonal gave the film three and a half stars out of five, writing, "Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff of Abbas Mustan kinda twists, turns, characters, situations, logic, gravity, physics, chemistry, and some Ekta Kapoor-esque tricks all tossed together to make a visually spectacular concoction".[37]Rajeev Masand of News18 gave the film two and a half out of five stars and said, "Both Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff fully commit to the action, bringing swag to the big stylish sequences and a visceral energy to the one-on-one punch-ups in the movie."[38]
The Times of India rated it three stars out of five and felt the film had "lot of style, stunts and show, but lacking a solid storyline".[39]India Today rated it two and a half stars out of five and wrote, "War is a crowd-puller, but it isn't meant to further the cause of cinema".[40]Daily News and Analysis gave three stars out of five and wrote, "War seems more like a Hrithik Roshan and YRF come back than anything else".[41] Writing forThe Indian Express, Shubhra Gupta granted the film two stars out of five, stating, "The chief trouble withWar is that all the space is divvied up between Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff, that the poor baddies don't really get a chance".[42] Writing forFirstpost,Anna M. M. Vetticad gave two stars out of five, opining that the film "could have been a suspenseful, eyecatching, entertaining ride. But for its politics... [it] is a painfully condescending ode to Muslim loyalty to our vatan, an ode that is particularly cynical and offensive".[43] Saibal Chatterjee ofNDTV gave the film one and a half stars out of five and stated, "Powered by two loose-limbed and resolutely stone-faced male leads, Hrithik and Tiger,War is all style and no substance".[44]
| Award[a] | Date of ceremony[b] | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards | 15 February 2020 | Best Film | Aditya Chopra | Nominated | [45] [46] [47] [48] |
| Best Director | Siddharth Anand | Nominated | |||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Shilpa Rao ("Ghungroo") | Won | |||
| Best Choreography | Bosco–Caesar ("Jai Jai Shiv Shankar") | Nominated | |||
| Bosco–Caesar &Tushar Kalia ("Ghungroo") | Nominated | ||||
| Best Action | Paul Jennings, Oh Sea Young, Parvez Shaikh & Franz Spilhaus | Won | |||
| Best Special Effects | Sherry Bharda, Vishal Anand for YFX | Won | |||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 27–29 November 2020 | Best Music Director | Vishal–Shekhar | Nominated | [49] [50] |
| Best Male Playback Singer | Arijit Singh ("Ghungroo") | Nominated | |||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Shilpa Rao ("Ghungroo") | Nominated | |||
| Sound Mixing | Anuj Mathur – YRF Studios Pritam Das | Won | |||
| Best Choreography | Bosco–Caesar & Tushar Kalia ("Ghungroo") | Won | |||
| Best Special Effects | YFX (YRF Studios) | Won | |||
| Mirchi Music Awards | 19 February 2020 | Song of The Year | "Ghungroo" | Nominated | [51] |
| Female Vocalist of The Year | Shilpa Rao ("Ghungroo") | Nominated | |||
| Song Engineer – Recording & Mixing | Abhay Rumde & Vijay Dayal ("Ghungroo") | Nominated | |||
| Screen Awards | 8 December 2019 | Best Film | War | Nominated | [52] |
| Best Director | Siddharth Anand | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Hrithik Roshan | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Vaani Kapoor | Nominated | |||
| Best Choreography | Bosco–Caesar & Tushar Kalia ("Ghungroo") | Won | |||
| Best Action | Paul Jennings, Oh Sea Young, Parvez Shaikh & Franz Spilhaus | Won | |||
| Best Editing | Aarif Sheikh | Won | |||
| Zee Cine Awards | 13 March 2020 | Best Action | Paul Jennings, Oh Sea Young, Parvez Shaikh & Franz Spilhaus | Won | [53] |
| Best Choreography | Bosco–Caesar ("Jai Jai Shiv Shankar") | Won | |||
| Best Special Effects | YFX (YRF Studios) | Won |
At the launch ofWar, Anand confirmed that he was working on the script of its sequel and had plans to convert the film into a franchise, depending on the audience response to the film.[54]
Roshan reprised his role as Kabir in thepost-credit scene ofTiger 3.[55] A sequel titledWar 2 directed byAyan Mukerji, replacing Anand, released on 14 August 2025.[56] It starsHrithik Roshan, who reprises his role, alongsideN. T. Rama Rao Jr. andKiara Advani.[57]
Made on a budget of Rs. 170 cr. [CoP Rs. 150 cr. + P&A Rs. 20 cr.]
