Overview
War is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. The film stars Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff in lead roles, with Vaani Kapoor in a prominent supporting role. It is the fourth instalment in the YRF Spy Universe, following Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), and preceding subsequent entries in the franchise.
The plot follows Khalid, an Indian intelligence officer, who is assigned the task of hunting down his former mentor Kabir, who has gone rogue. The film was released worldwide on 2 October 2019, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti, and received attention for its action sequences, international locations, and the on-screen pairing of Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff.
Key Facts
| Title | War |
|---|---|
| Director | Siddharth Anand |
| Producer | Aditya Chopra |
| Production company | Yash Raj Films |
| Writers | Siddharth Anand (story); Shridhar Raghavan (screenplay); Abbas Tyrewala (dialogue) |
| Lead cast | Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Vaani Kapoor |
| Music | Vishal–Shekhar (songs); Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara (background score) |
| Cinematography | Benjamin Jasper |
| Editor | Aarif Sheikh |
| Language | Hindi (with Tamil and Telugu dubbed releases) |
| Release date | 2 October 2019 |
| Franchise | YRF Spy Universe |
Cast
- Hrithik Roshan as Major Kabir Dhaliwal
- Tiger Shroff as Captain Khalid Rahmani
- Vaani Kapoor as Naina
- Ashutosh Rana as Colonel Sunil Luthra
- Anupriya Goenka as Dr Aditi Sharma
- Soni Razdan as Khalid's mother
Production
Development of the film was announced by Yash Raj Films in 2018. Principal photography took place across multiple international locations, including Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Australia, and parts of India such as Kerala and Delhi. The production placed significant emphasis on choreographed action set-pieces, including hand-to-hand combat, vehicular chases, and aerial sequences. Action direction was handled by international stunt coordinators, with sequences shot on location and supplemented by visual effects.
Music
The soundtrack was composed by Vishal–Shekhar, with lyrics by Kumaar. Tracks include "Ghungroo", "Jai Jai Shivshankar", and "Aless Aless". The album was released by YRF Music. The background score was composed by Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara.
Release and Reception
War opened in theatres on 2 October 2019 and was released in standard, IMAX, and other premium formats. The film performed strongly at the box office and was among the highest-grossing Indian films of 2019. Critical response was mixed to positive, with reviewers praising the action choreography, cinematography, and the central pairing, while observations were also made on the formulaic nature of the screenplay.
YRF Spy Universe
The film is part of the YRF Spy Universe, a shared cinematic franchise produced by Yash Raj Films featuring Indian intelligence operatives. Within this universe, War introduced the character of Kabir, played by Hrithik Roshan, and established narrative connections that have been carried forward through subsequent films in the series, including Pathaan (2023) and Tiger 3 (2023).
Awards
The film received nominations and wins at several Indian film award ceremonies, particularly in technical categories such as action, choreography, and visual effects. Hrithik Roshan received recognition for his performance at multiple awards events held in 2020.
Significance
War is regarded as a landmark in the action genre of Hindi cinema for its scale of stunt work and its role in consolidating the YRF Spy Universe. The film also marked the first major on-screen collaboration between Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff, two actors known for action-led roles.