Mumbai: Shabana Azmi has opened up about the disappointing box office performance of ‘Batwara 1947’, suggesting that audiences may have struggled to accept Sunny Deol in the role of a Muslim character.
The Sunny Deol-led Partition drama was among the year’s much-awaited releases, but failed to make the expected impact at the box office.
Shabana, who plays a key role in the film, believes the audience’s perception of Sunny may have played a part in its underwhelming performance.
Speaking to Zoom, Shabana said, “The thing is that you cannot accept Sunny Deol as a Muslim.”
She compared the reaction with Amitabh Bachchan’s earlier portrayals of Muslim characters, pointing out that his roles in films such as Coolie and Deewaar were accepted by audiences.
“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,” she said.
Shabana also claimed that even some viewers who had watched the film appeared to misunderstand Sunny’s character.
“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,” she added.
Shabana Azmi says ‘Batwara 1947’ is not politically incorrect
The veteran actor further argued that there is nothing politically problematic about the film and expressed disappointment over the way audiences have responded to its subject.
“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,” Shabana said.
She also praised Sunny’s performance and pointed to what she sees as a contradiction between the film’s box office numbers and the feedback she receives personally.
“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?” she added.
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan Productions, Batwara 1947 is set against the backdrop of Partition.
Sunny Deol plays Sikandar Mirza, a patriotic businessman from Meerut who is forced to flee to Pakistan with his wife Hamida, played by Preity Zinta, and their children after targeted riots.
After spending time in a refugee camp in Lahore, the family is allotted a haveli where they hope to rebuild their lives.
However, they discover that an elderly Hindu woman, Mai, played by Shabana Azmi, is still living in an upstairs room.
Mai refuses to leave because she continues to wait for her missing son to return.
As Mirza’s family grows close to her, he takes on the responsibility of protecting her from extremist elements in the area.
The film explores themes of Partition, displacement, communal tensions and the human bonds that survive political divisions.