Mumbai, Jul 28 (PTI) Bollywood star Sunny Deol on Tuesday said his upcoming film “Batwara 1947” is rooted in the idea that humanity transcends religious divide.
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Kha, the period drama is set against the backdrop of the 1947 Partition.
The story revolves around a family whose lives are irrevocably altered as religious violence, fear and forced migration tear apart communities that once lived side by side. Yet, amid unimaginable loss and deepening divisions, the film celebrates the courage of those who chose kindness over hatred and hope over despair.
“The reason behind it (religious divide) is that people forget their shared humanity, and it will stop only when every human being truly understands that we are all human beings first. I don’t believe in any post, whether it is a minister or a policeman, they are all human beings… And if a human being understands that there is only one religion, which is humanity, then nothing wrong will happen,” Deol told reporters here when asked about the continued religious tensions years after Partition.
Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar, who has penned the lyrics for the movie, said it is wrong to stereotype entire communities.
“Every community has all kinds of people, so it is wrong to say that people of a specific community are always a certain way. In every community, there are some honest people, and some bad people as well, but this is common,” Akhtar said, adding that the bad people often become more visible while the ordinary ones remain unnoticed.
Santoshi and Deol have previously delivered box office hits in the 90s like “Ghayal”, “Damini”, and “Ghatak”, and the director-actor duo are working together on “Batwara 1947” after 30 years.
Deol expressed regret over the long gap between their collaborations.
“Raj and I share the same wavelength. We challenge each other, do retake after retake and even argue, but in the end, the result looks good,” he said, adding that he hopes to do more films with the director.
Santoshi described “Batwara” as a “family film” that focuses on relationships rather than “politics”.
The movie is based on Asghar Wajahat’s celebrated play, ‘Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai’ (He Who Has Not Seen Lahore, Has Not Been Born).
“It is a family film, there’s no emphasis on politics, it is about human emotions and relations, especially it is about mothers, and sisters. There’s a message in the end that serving or caring for your mother is the highest and best thing (karma) you can do, besides treating all people with kindness and humanity,” he said.
“We’ve made this film with this philosophy, treat this as a family movie and everyone can come together and watch it, and I assure you that no one will be disappointed,” the director said.
Deol said the film carries a strong emotional message and reflects themes that audiences can connect with.
“There’s a character, he has a journey and, in the end, it is about humanity and who are we, most importantly, mother is the most important person. The whole film is emotional. All the stories that Raj and I’ve done are emotional and ‘Batwara’ is of a different league and we’ve tried to give something good to the society with our stories,” he said.
The film also stars Shabana Azmi and Priety Zinta. The music is by AR Rahman.
“Batwara 1947” will releases in cinemas worldwide on August 14. PTI SSG KKP BK BK
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