“It’s a story that Raj (director Rajkumar Santoshi) is telling. That’s a story that we have brought. And the characters that exist within are being portrayed. It is not like we are trying to neutralise it. It is how the characters are written,” said the actor.
He added, “When you see the film, you will forget what it is. You will be so involved in the cinema that you will come out happy and satisfied. It will make you realise what the Partition was and how important it is to stand by yourself against all the odds. But it is not ki hum isko thoda aise rakhein ya isko thoda aise rakhein. Woh jo subject hai wahi hum banayenge. Usko badal toh nahi sakte. (It is not as if we tried to present it one way or another. We can only tell the story as it is. We cannot change the subject.)”
Asked whether portraying humanity across the India-Pakistan divide felt risky in today’s political climate, Sunny said the thought never crossed the filmmakers’ minds.
“We never thought of it that way. I heard this story from Raj in 2010, and we have been wanting to make it since then. When you talk about the political climate, humne mahaul ke baare mein kabhi nahi socha. Hum toh kahani bana rahe hain. Hamare dimaag mein koi khot nahi hai (We never thought about the atmosphere. We were simply telling a story. There is no malice in our hearts),” he said.
Preity Zinta, who returns to the big screen after a seven-year hiatus, echoed the sentiment, saying, “For me too, it’s not about ki udhar kya ho raha hai, idhar kya ho raha hai? It’s about humare ghar mein kya ho raha hai? When world events happen, your first instinct is to think about your family and yourself.”
Set against the backdrop of the Partition, ‘Batwara 1947’ follows a Muhajir family in Lahore that shelters and protects an elderly Hindu woman.
When director Rajkumar Santoshi was asked why he chose a story centred on shared humanity at a time when narratives involving India and Pakistan are often viewed through a political lens.
“The story needs to be engaging, entertaining and leave an emotional impact on the audience. We don’t like to give messages. There are other mediums for people who want to make films with messaging,” Santoshi said.
Calling it an emotional story rather than a political one, he added, “What stays with you are the characters. The story doesn’t see Hindu or Muslim. The characters see human beings. Ek insaan ke saath ek ghatna hoti hai aur insaan kis tarah se kya karta hai, (Something happens to a person, and the story is about how other human beings respond.) Toh ek message nahi de raha hoon main. Teacher thode hi hoon. (I’m not giving a message. I’m not a teacher.) The film should be good, and people should enjoy it.”
The film also stars Ali Fazal, Abhimanyu Singh, Khushi Hajare and Kanikka Kapur in key roles.
Backed by Aamir Khan Productions, Batwara 1947 has been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) without any cuts.
