Preity Zinta says she's proud of Batwara 1947 despite its box office failure: 'You can't control what happens'

Bollywood actor Preity Zinta addressed the box office failure of her Bollywood comeback film Batwara 1947 and said she's proud of the film.

Bollywood actor Preity Zinta has reacted to the box office performance of her comeback film, Batwara 1947. The actor returned to the big screen alongside Sunny Deol and Shabana Azmi, but despite its ensemble cast and the anticipation around her comeback, the film failed to make a significant box-office impact. Now, Preity has opened up about the film’s performance and said that there are several things about a film’s fate that actors simply cannot control.

Batwara 1947 is about a Muslim family in Lahore sheltering a Hindu woman after Partition.

Preity Zinta on Batwara 1947's failure

In an interview with Mid-day, Preity addressed the film’s failure and explained that an actor can only control the effort they put into a project. She said, "First of all, I am very proud of the film, and it's a very overwhelming experience. And as an actor, I am always managing expectations. Once I am working, I put in my 100 per cent."

She added, "As I said earlier, I believe in karam (deed). You do your karam and then leave the rest to god. You can't control what happens. So, you work as hard as you can on every film; I give my 1000 per cent and then leave the rest to God."

About Batwara 1947

Helmed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions, Batwara 1947 stars Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal, Abhimanyu Singh, Khushi Hajare, Kanikka Kapur and Isha Sandhir in key roles.

Set in Lahore against the backdrop of the 1947 Partition of British India and the division of Punjab, the film is based on Asghar Wajahat's play Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai. It follows Sikandar Mirza (Sunny Deol) and his family as they flee India for Lahore, where they are allotted a haveli still occupied by Durgavati (Shabana Azmi), a Hindu woman awaiting her son’s return.

As the two families clash over the property, an aspiring politician, played by Abhimanyu Singh, gives the dispute a communal turn, escalating tensions between the two sides. Made on a reported budget of ₹150 crore, the film opened to a mixed-to-negative response and collected only ₹38.80 crore net in India.

About Preity Zinta's upcoming work

Preity is now awaiting the release of her upcoming spy comedy, Vibe. Helmed by Kunal Kemmu, the film also stars Sparsh Srivastava and Kunal Kemmu in the lead roles.

The trailer generated considerable buzz among audiences and introduced viewers to Hardik(Kunal Kemmu) and Bugs (Sparsh Srivastava). The two are friends living seemingly ordinary lives who are suddenly forced to step up as heroes when the nation faces a looming danger.

Spectacularly unprepared for the task and completely out of their depth, the duo are thrust into a high-stakes mission by Madam H, played by Preity Zinta in an action-comedy avatar.

The official synopsis of the film reads, “Two hapless friends who can barely manage their own lives accidentally stumble upon a terrorist plot and suddenly find themselves responsible for saving the nation despite being completely unprepared for the task.” Vibe is scheduled to release in theatres on September 18.