‘Our stories are sincere and pure. When people watch them, they connect emotionally.’
Key Points
- After Gadar 2, Sunny Deol returns to Pakistan in Batwara 1947 to protect humanity.
- Director Rajkumar Santoshi says Batwara 1947 is a family film built on one belief: ‘There’s no bigger religion than humanity.’
- The trailer launch turned emotional as Santoshi revealed Batwara 1947 was among the last films watched by Dharmendra before his passing.
Just days before the trailer launch, Sunny Deol shared a picture with his mother Prakash Kaur, dedicating Batwara 1947 to mothers everywhere.
Watching the trailer, it becomes clear why.
Set against the backdrop of Partition, Batwara 1947 features Sunny Deol as a compassionate Muslim man in newly-formed Pakistan.
Shabana Azmi plays an elderly Hindu woman who refuses to abandon her family home in Pakistan despite the growing communal unrest around her. Sunny’s character takes it upon himself to protect her from angry mobs.
In one of the trailer’s biggest moments, he calls her a mother before delivering a punchy dialogue: ‘Har insaan ka pehla mazhab maa hai.’
A massive cutout of Sunny Deol in his signature intense avatar stood at the venue, while the film’s poster carried the line: ‘In times of hatred and fear, he chose courage.’
Based on Asghar Wajahat’s acclaimed 1989 play Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai, the film is directed by Rajkumar Santoshi who is collaborating with Sunny Deol after nearly three decades, following hits like Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak.
Batwara 1947 Champions Humanity
Speaking at the trailer launch in Mumbai, Santoshi revealed that once Gadar 2 became a blockbuster, both of them began work on Batwara 1947. Sunny Deol had agreed to the project immediately after the very first narration.
The filmmaker insisted that despite its backdrop, Batwara 1947 should not be viewed as a political film.
“This is a family film. Politics is not emphasised in it. It is about human emotions, relations. There’s no bigger religion than humanity. That’s the philosophy the film is built upon. Treat this as a family picture, and there is something for everyone to learn from this film,” Santoshi said.
Deol echoed that sentiment and said he doesn’t believe in making films to provoke unnecessary controversy.
“Our films have always been connected to society. We don’t make films to create controversy. I believe our stories are sincere and pure. When people watch them, they connect emotionally. They find a sense of belonging, and they begin reflecting on moments in their own lives, whether they have experienced something similar or not. That’s the kind of cinema I love to make,” Deol said.
While reflecting on his long creative partnership with Santoshi, Deol said Batwara 1947 is a special collaboration between them.
“Whenever either of us brings up an idea, it just feels right. If the story is good, both of us get equally excited because our wavelengths match. We constantly challenge each other while working. Of course, there are retakes, and there are disagreements at times, but the end result always turns out beautifully,” he said.
WATCH: What Producer Aamir Khan told Rajkumar Santoshi before making Batwara 1947
Did Shabana Azmi Let Go A Steven Spielberg Film For Batwara 1947?
Batwara 1947 marks another significant reunion. It brings Deol with Preity Zinta together eight years after Bhaiyaji Superhit. The actors worked together in 2003’s Hero: The Love Story Of A Spy (incidentally, this was Priyanka Chopra’s Bollywood debut) and 2001’s Farz.
The period film marks Sunny’s first collaboration with Aamir Khan, who is producing the film under his banner and also the first time that Sunny shares screen space with Shabana Azmi.
Santoshi praised Azmi’s commitment to the project, revealing that she reshuffled an international schedule to be part of his film.
“When I told her the story, she said, ‘This film is very important. It has to be made.’ At the time, she was already committed to a Hollywood project, perhaps a film with Spielberg. Yet, she immediately got up, called her secretary, rearranged the dates that needed to be changed, and went out of her way to make time for this film,” Santoshi revealed.
“I will remain grateful to her for the rest of my life because she didn’t merely play the character of Mai, she lived it,” the director said.
One of the warmest moments of the afternoon came from Shabana Azmi, who attended the trailer launch wearing a mask after recently being diagnosed with H1N1.
“My last film before this was with Dharamji, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and my upcoming film is with Sunny and Karan. I can also do a film with Abhay (Deol). Now you guys please tell Bobby ki woh bhi mere saath film karne ko tayyar ho jaaye.”
WATCH: The scene that left Shabana Azmi feeling vulnerable
‘Batwara 1947 Has Dharamji‘s Blessings’
Returning to the big screen after Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas (2019), Karan Deol described working alongside his father Sunny Deol as a “dream come true”.
“Who would not work with their father? Just standing opposite him, looking at him, my life was made,” he said emotionally.
Then, he turned towards his Papa, and said, “I just wanna say, Papa, thank you and I love you so much.”
Sunny’s eyes welled up as his son spoke.
Santoshi, meanwhile, shared an emotional coincidence that tied Indian cinema to his family.
“On August 15, 1947, my father (filmmaker P L Santoshi) ‘s film Shehnai had released. It was the only film which got released that day in the country. It was a very successful film. One of its songs is popular even today: Aana Meri Jaan Meri Jaan Sunday Ke Sunday. Now, Batwara 1947 is also releasing around August 15.”
He then spoke about the late Dharmendra’s connection with the film.
“This film has been blessed by Dharamji in many ways. He heard the narration and got very emotional. He was teary-eyed after hearing the story. I believe the last film that Dharamji saw was Batwara 1947. He told me, ‘Raj, yeh picture bahut chalegi. Bahut accha kaam kiya aap logon ne‘.”
WATCH: Why Sunny Deol read Batwara 1947 only once
Batwara 1947 releases in theatres on August 14.
