‘Cannot accept Sunny Deol as a Muslim’: Shabana Azmi on Batwara 1947 box office failure

Shabana Azmi discussed the underwhelming reception of Batwara 1947, suggesting that audiences struggle to accept Sunny Deol as a Muslim character.

Sunny Deol-starrer Batwara 1947 was among the most anticipated films of the year, but the film wasn't wholeheartedly accepted by the audience, with its underwhelming box office performance serving as proof. Recently, Shabana Azmi spoke about the film's subpar performance and suggested that one possible reason could be that the audience wasn't able to accept Sunny Deol playing a Muslim character.

Sunny Deol in a still from Batwara 1947.

‘Cannot accept Sunny Deol as a Muslim’

Shabana Azmi, who plays a pivotal role in the film, told Zoom, “The thing is that you cannot accept Sunny Deol as a Muslim. In Coolie and in many other films, Amitabh Bachchan very comfortably played Muslim characters. In Deewaar, he put 786 and that was accepted. So how do we understand this? Are they creating an environment where such decisions are being taken on purpose? I am not able to understand. I am surprised at how people are reacting to it. Even the ones who have watched the film think Sunny Deol is playing a Pakistani. He is not. It is simply not registering in their heads."

‘Film isn't politically incorrect in any way’

Shabana argued that the film is not politically incorrect in any way and said that audiences may be finding it difficult to accept a Partition story that does not fit the familiar narrative. She said, "The problem is that you cannot touch the subject of Hindustan and Pakistan in this setup, which is very disappointing. This is a film which is politically not incorrect in any way. You can’t find fault with it. Sunny has done a very good job. It is very surprising and also contradictory that when I meet people, why are they praising the film so much?" the actor concluded.

About Batwara 1947

The film sees Sunny Deol play the character of Sikandar Mirza, a patriotic businessman from Meerut, who is forced to flee to Pakistan with his wife Hamida (Preity Zinta) and their children after facing targeted riots. After staying in a refugee camp in Lahore, they are allotted a haveli as their new home, where they hope to restart their lives.

There, they find an elderly Hindu woman named Mai (Shabana Azmi) still living in a room upstairs. Mai refuses to leave her home because she is waiting for her lost son to return. As Mirza's family develops a bond with Mai, it becomes his mission to protect her from local extremist elements.

Batwara 1947 is directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan Productions.