- By Tanya Garg
- Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:02 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Batwara 1947 opened with mixed reviews and performed poorly at the box office. Shabana Azmi recently linked Sunny Deol's portrayal of a Muslim character in the movie to its box office failure. Rajkumar Santoshi, the film's director, has now reacted to the same.
Batwara 1947 Fail Due To Sunny Deol's Muslim Role?
Batwara 1947 director denied that Sunny Deol's portrayal of a Muslim character was the cause of the film's poor box office performance in a conversation with Variety India.
"It makes no sense to me. Amitabh Bachchan played a Muslim hero in Coolie. So many of Manmohan Desai’s films had Muslim heroes. Are we at a point where we cannot accept a hero from the other community? We are sensible, good people, educated people. How are they saying there’s a big mistake in the film?"
Rajkumar Santoshi, however, did acknowledge that the atmosphere might have changed since such films were made. He mentioned how the 2001 movie Lajja, which was based on the Ramayana, would be challenging to recreate now.
"We have become far less tolerant and inclusive as a people. You should look at the filmmaker's intent and what the writer wants to say."
ALSO READ - Batwara 1947 Twitter Review: Sunny Deol And Preity Zinta's Partition Drama Gets Mixed Reactions
The director also talked about his personal approach to faith. "I'm a Hindu. I go to the temple. My son's name is Ram. I am not against any faith. But I want to take the best of every faith. Whatever the saints have tried to say about faith, it is always about equality. Hinduism has always been about inclusiveness, not exclusion."
Batwara 1947 Has Been Total Box Office Disaster: Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi expressed surprise at the magnitude of its box-office loss in an earlier Zoom conversation about the movie's performance.
Shabana Azmi said, "Firstly, I am very surprised at the total box office disaster that Batwara 1947 has been because I am surrounded by people who come and tell me they have loved the film. They tell me that they loved the message. A lot of them feel that it is very important to speak about humanity in today's environment..."
About Batwara 1947
Preity Zinta, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal, Abhimanyu Singh, Khushi Hajare, and Kanikka Kapur play important parts in Batwara 1947. Aamir Khan backed the partition drama under Aamir Khan Productions.
According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Batwara 1947, which was built on a reported budget of Rs 150 crore, has already grossed Rs 54.03 crore worldwide.
FAQ
1. Is Batwara 1947 based on a true story?
No, Batwara 1947 is not a true story. It is based on a fictional drama based on the 1989 play Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai.
2. Sunny Deol plays a Muslim hero in Batwara 1947?
Sunny Deol plays an Indian Muslim character named Sikandar Mirza in Rajkumar Santoshi’s movie Batwara 1947.