‘Batwara 1947’: Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta and Rajkumar Santoshi on revisiting the trauma of Partition

Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta and Rajkumar Santoshi open up about ‘Batwara 1947’ as they share their thoughts on Partition, Dharmendra’s reaction on seeing the film and more

Updated - August 10, 2026 05:55 pm IST

Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta in ‘Batwara 1947’ | Photo Credit: Aamir Khan Productions

In his final film Ikkis, legendary actor Dharmendra travelled across the border and added a touch of healing to the trauma of Partition. Over eight months after Ikkis, Sunny Deol is seen going to Pakistan in his upcoming historical-drama, Batwara 1947, invoking a similar idea of love and brotherhood.Interestingly, Dharmendra was present when the film was narrated to Sunny by director Rajkumar Santoshi. “He got emotional upon hearing it,” recalls Preity Zinta, who plays a pivotal role in the film. Seated beside her, Sunny’s eyes are outlined with tears as he tells The Hindu that Dharmendra had seen a version of the film before his death in November last year. “Papa loved it,” Sunny says.

Dharmendra was born in undivided India in 1935 and along with his father, carried stories of Partition which Sunny recalls hearing while growing up. “My grandfather, uncle and aunt would tell us stories from the time, which stayed with me and I would keep wondering about the event. So, when Raj narrated Batwara 1947 to me, I related it to the real-life accounts from my family,” says Sunny as he reflects on Partition and calls it “heartbreaking”. “It shouldn’t have happened; so many innocents died.”

Santoshi adds, “During Partition, humans touched greater heights with all the courage shown and sacrifices laid. But at the same time, humans also got involved in disgusting acts of violence on each other. Both things were seen during the time. That’s what we have tried to portray in Batwara 1947 as well.”

Sunny Deol in ‘Batwara 1947’ | Photo Credit: Aamir Khan Productions

The film features Sunny as Sikandar Mirza, who leaves his home in Lucknow to settle in Lahore with his family as violence grips the nation. At an allocated mansion in Lahore, he finds an old Hindu woman still staying inside and vows to save her from extremists. Adapted from Asghar Wajahat’s play, Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamyai Nai, Batwara 1947 takes a more mainstream approach, shaping Mirza’s character according to the action-oriented on-screen personality of Sunny. The tone goes well with his previous action-packed films with Santoshi, including Ghayal (1990), Damini (1993) and Ghatak (1996). The filmmaker acknowledges the ease with which he can write heroic characters but calls Mirza to be the most courageous character he has known.

“He is stronger than all the superheroes because people can fight an individual, a group or an army but here Sunny is fighting against fanaticism. It is something that shakes everyone. However, Sunny’s character shows remarkable moral courage and physical strength to fight the fanatics. The character should become an ideal for everyone,” Santoshi says while adding that he wanted to turn the “emotionally moving” subject into an entertaining film. “I didn’t want to give any message. I am a filmmaker, not a teacher,” he says.

Batwara 1947 has long been in the making. Santoshi had narrated the script of Batwara 1947 to Sunny actor in 2010. The two were wanting to come together for a long time. “We had discussed many subjects, including a story about Ashoka and Prithviraj Chauhan. However, producers were not thinking that we were sellable. But when Gadar 2 worked, there were lots of offers that came my way,” Sunny says.

From left: Sunny Deol and director Rajkumar Santoshi during the trailer launch of ‘Batwara 1947’ | Photo Credit: PTI

One of the offers came from Aamir Khan, who came on board to produce Batwara 1947 as he had heard the story from Santoshi. Together, they finalised Preity as the female lead, to portray the wife of Sunny’s character. Initially, Preity wasn’t sure about being part of the film when Aamir called her. “He told me to hear the script and said that its by Rajkumar Santoshi. I had always wanted to work with him. That’s when I told Aamir that I am doing the film,” says Preity.

Preity Zinta in ‘Batwara 1947’ | Photo Credit: Aamir Khan Productions

The actor’s decision was also backed by her desire to be part of a period movie. “I always romanticised period films and was curious about the lifestyle, clothes and food of the past,” she says. “My scenes in the film feature me making food, cleaning the house or stitching clothes. That’s what women did in the late 1940s. There was no career. You just had to take care of your husband and child. When I finished the film, I felt so grateful to have been born at a time and place where women have the choice to do what they want,” she says.