New Delhi: Sunny Deol’s attempt to “stay away from politics” at a promotional event for his upcoming film Batwara 1947 ended up doing the opposite. The actor and former BJP MP drew criticism online after recalling that his father Dharmendra would describe India as his mother and Pakistan as his mausi, or maternal aunt.
Deol made the remarks while responding to a question about Pakistan and the “atmosphere” there during a press conference at INOX, City Centre Mall, in Patna on Sunday. He first clarified that the film had been shot in India and then invoked his father.
“Hum feel ki baatein nahi karte because pura mulk ek hi tha. Jaise papa ne kaha ki yeh meri maa hai aur woh meri mausi hai… Hum sab ek tarah se hain toh jude hue kahin na kahin se (We don’t talk in terms of feelings because the entire country was once one. As my father used to say, India is my mother and Pakistan is my maternal aunt. In one way or another, we’re all connected),” Deol said. He added that as actors and makers, “we create stories… we don’t take it in a political direction.”
Batwara 1947, set during Partition, continues a familiar trajectory in Deol’s career. From Border to Gadar, he has long been one of Hindi cinema’s most recognisable faces of screen patriotism. Between 2019 and 2024, Deol also represented Punjab’s Gurdaspur constituency as a BJP MP.
With his “mausi” remark, he is now facing backlash from sections of the same online audience that usually cheers his nationalistic screen persona.
Also Read: Imran Khan returns to acting after 10 years with Netflix’s ‘Adhure Hum Adhure Tum’
Backlash—and what Dharmendra really said
On X, many accused the former BJP MP of contradicting the patriotic image he has built through his films and his political career. Others ridiculed the timing of the comments, days before the release of a movie on Partition.
“Pakistan has always supported terror activities against… Then how can Sunny Deol make such a statement? How can he say that Pakistan is connected to India or call it India’s sister?” posted @SaffronChargers.
Another joked that “Nobody fools Andhbhakts like BJP and Bollywood”, adding that “Entire BJP ITCell was busy promoting his movie.”
“Just when everyone thought Sunny deol had survived his downfall… He handed his critics fresh material by calling Pakistan aunty,” posted @SwakshTripathi. Another comment claimed “Dharmendra Paaji would have slapped” Deol for the remark.
Some others, however, came out in support of the actor, saying that he was only referring to what Dharmendra had been saying for a long time about the cultural and historical links between India and Pakistan.
Last year, after Dharmendra’s death, an old video went viral in which the veteran actor said at a function: “Hindustan agar meri maa hai, Bharat maa hai, toh Pakistan meri mausi maa hai,” and expressed hope that the two countries would come closer.
Batwara 1947, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan Productions, reunites Santoshi and Deol nearly 30 years after Ghatak. Based on Asghar Wajahat’s 1989 play Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai, the film follows a family displaced by Partition and is scheduled for release on August 14.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)