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Batwara 1947 Movie Review: Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi and Preity Zinta headline Rajkumar Santoshi’s sincere but uneven Partition drama about humanity and brotherhood.
Batwara 1947 movie review starring Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta and Shabana Azmi.
Batwara 1947A
3/5
Starring: Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi, Preity Zinta, Ali Fazal, Karan Deol, Abhimanyu Singh, Kanikka Kapur, Khushi Hajare, Ira SandhirDirector: Rajkumar Santoshi Music: AR Rahman
Batwara 1947 Movie Review: 2026 has been a pivotal year for films returning to one of the darkest chapters in South Asian history: Partition. After Imtiaz Ali’s moving ode Main Vaapas Aaunga, Rajkumar Santoshi now arrives with his cinematic interpretation of Asgar Wajahat’s celebrated play Jinne Lahore Ni Vekhya Woh Jameya Hi Nahi. Headlined by Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Ali Fazal, Karan Deol, Abhimanyu Singh and others, this Aamir Khan production may not be perfect and does carry uneven edges in its adaptation, but at its core, the film feels authentic, earnest and painfully human. It offers a poignant, classically mounted take on a play that has been performed by thespians across stages for years.
The film opens with Sikandar Mirza, played by Sunny Deol, preparing to celebrate India’s very first Independence Day. Despite the danger of being caught in the crossfire of violence, Sikandar remains optimistic that no harm will come to him or his family. He believes, with almost childlike conviction, that Mahatma Gandhi would never allow a riot-like situation to unfold. More than that, he is determined to stay in the country whose freedom he fought for. He owns a factory and is preparing for Independence Day, unaware of the peril that is beginning to sharpen its teeth around him.
Back at Sikandar’s house, his wife Hamida, played by Preity Zinta, his daughter Tanno, played by Khushi Hajare, and his son Javed are equally unaware of the storm gathering in their village. Sikandar’s friend Rashid pleads with him to leave for Lahore along with his family, but Sikandar refuses to abandon Meerut.
However, as night begins to draw closer, the situation in the city worsens, with mobs targeting Muslims in the neighbourhood. Seeing danger now standing at his doorstep, Sikandar goes around knocking on doors, asking for refuge. But nobody comes forward to help him. With the mob advancing, Sikandar, along with his family, Rashid and Rashid’s family, leaves for the railway station, where a train to Lahore is expected to depart any moment. Even in that terrifying situation, Hamida assures her daughter that she can leave her books behind, because they will return once the violence subsides. But to their horror, as they make their way towards the station, they see a violent mob setting their house on fire.
At the railway station, the anxious and terrified crowd is desperate to get onto the train, which is already overflowing with people. Amid the commotion, a mob armed with swords and petrol bombs attacks and brutalises people on the train. They even barge into the engine room to kill the driver, but Sikandar fights them off valiantly. While Hamida and Tanno manage to get on the train, Sikandar’s son Javed, as well as Rashid’s family, are left behind.
Once they reach Lahore, we see Sikandar taking care of his family at a relief camp while trying to find a roof over their heads. However, with refugees pouring in from all corners, approximately 40 lakh Muhajirs, the allocation of houses is taking a great deal of time. That is when Habib Anwar, played by Ali Fazal, a poet and presenter at Lahore Radio, steps up to help Sikandar by offering him the haveli allotted to him.
Finally, Sikandar has a roof for himself and his family. His son is still missing, but he is relieved that at least he now has a house. The sprawling mansion has a lovely courtyard, with the traditional Tulsi plant standing in the middle of it like a remnant of another life. Sikandar’s daughter even remarks that this house is far bigger than their previous home in Meerut. As she goes about exploring the mansion, she finds an old woman already living inside.
It is then revealed that the old woman, played by Shabana Azmi, is the mother of Ratan Lal Jauhari, a jeweller who used to live in the house. He had gone to his wife’s maternal home, and ever since then, she has been waiting for her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter to return.
Initially, both Sikandar and Hamida are displeased with this new development. They want the old woman to leave the mansion somehow, even though she shows them nothing but affection. She has a calm, caring demeanour, which comes through beautifully in her interactions with Hamida and Tanno.
Sikandar and Hamida try their best to convince her that the mansion no longer belongs to her and that she should immediately leave for India. While Sikandar threatens to approach the custodian office if she refuses to go, Hamida tries a different route by telling her that she will need to convert to Islam if she wants to continue living in Pakistan.
But none of these tactics work on the old woman. Slowly but surely, Hamida begins to develop empathy for her and starts referring to her as Mai instead of “budhiya”, the word she earlier used with disdain. Sikandar, however, remains on edge.
Meanwhile, Lahore is trying to gather its broken bones and stand again after Partition. An anti-Muhajir sentiment lingers among some people, and a rowdy goon named Yaqoob Khan, played by Abhimanyu Singh, fans this flame even further by terrorising people. He is also unhappy that the Jauhari mansion has been allotted to Sikandar Mirza. His temper worsens when he learns that an old Hindu woman is still living inside the premises and refusing to leave.
Around the same time, Sikandar and Hamida are reunited with their son Javed, who has made an arduous journey to Lahore. He informs them that while he managed to escape, his father’s friend Rashid and his family could not make it. Javed is further infuriated when he learns that an old Hindu woman is still living in the mansion. He threatens her unabashedly, as if every vein in his body is now carrying hatred and revenge.
To get this job done, he approaches Yaqoob, who agrees to help him, provided he is paid Rs 6000. Sikandar is initially on board but seems conflicted by the idea of throwing an ailing old woman out of a mansion that originally belonged to her, and that too at the hands of a goon. He asks Hamida, who immediately refuses to be part of it. She even urges Sikandar not to take such a dire step.
The next day, when Yaqoob Khan arrives at the mansion with his lackeys, Sikandar becomes acquainted with Yaqoob’s true intentions. Yaqoob not only wants Rs 6000, but also one floor of the mansion for one of his minions, saying that it is better to have someone from one’s own religion living there instead of sharing space with a “kaffir.” But by this point, Sikandar has already made up his mind. He refuses the offer outright. He says Mai will live with him and that nobody can remove her from the house.
Yaqoob Khan, his ego badly wounded, swears that he will not let the old woman live in the city, let alone in the mansion. Whether Sikandar succeeds in protecting Mai, and how Yaqoob schemes to evict and possibly harm her, forms the major crux of the film, with Sikandar’s son Javed forced to choose a side.
Batwara 1947, in its intent and purpose, is as sincere and authentic as it can possibly be. The film captures the horrors of Partition in a balanced manner, without falling prey to the temptation of taking religious sides. It portrays the bloodshed that happened on both sides of the border, driven by hatred and rage among misguided people who twisted their respective religions to justify their bloodlust. This poignant dichotomy acts like a soothing balm on wounds that have festered because of religious enmity. It fosters a secular worldview rooted in brotherhood and harmony.
The film depicts this beautifully across several scenes, whether it is Mai wanting to conduct a pooja on Diwali and Sikandar’s family stepping up to facilitate it, sensible Muslims coming together to make it happen, or Mai wilfully and anonymously granting Sikandar a place to set up his workshop when he is struggling to find one himself. This Rajkumar Santoshi directorial has several such tender moments, all of which underline that humanity is larger than any religion. The film yearns for a world where brotherhood and tolerance are not ornamental ideals, but ordinary habits.
Besides this, the set pieces of Lahore in 1947 lend the film an added layer of realism. The outfits, buildings, cars, bullock carts, and alleyways recreate the period with an old-world charm that feels lived-in rather than merely assembled. Since the film is adapted from a play, one can sense the theatre-like treatment in several scenes, whether through the dialogues, the backdrop, the lighting, or the performances. It is interesting to see how the qualities of stagecraft are carefully woven into the canopy of a cinematic film. The film has several emotional high points where one might feel a lump quietly rise in the throat.
As for the flaws, Batwara 1947 struggles in several departments. The simplistic treatment of the screenplay begins to feel redundant and dull quite early in the film. On top of that, the linear storytelling method, interspersed with occasional flashbacks that serve as exposition for certain characters, feels unimaginative and predictable. At times, the film feels like it has wandered in straight from the 90s or early 2000s.
Some of the character tropes also feel rather outlandish, especially Yaqoob Khan, who comes across as a caricatured 90s villain. The action sequences too feel over-the-top and not entirely necessary in the larger scheme of things. They break the momentum and leave behind a somewhat tacky aftertaste. While the background score is good, the magic of AR Rahman that we previously witnessed in Main Vaapas Aaunga seems to be missing here, with only a couple of songs leaving any real impression.
On the acting front, Sunny Deol delivers a balanced performance, where he gets to be a good mixture of emotive and loud. His inherent style of dialogue delivery, juxtaposed with his action scenes, will surely mesmerise die-hard Sunny Deol fans. Shabana Azmi as Mai once again proves that she is a versatile actor who can pull off any character with ease. Here, she plays a kind and generous old woman pining for the return of her son, and she does so with aching restraint. Preity Zinta as Hamida brings poise and grace to the story. Karan Deol as Javed is good, considering the role he gets. Abhimanyu Singh as Yaqoob Khan comes across as menacing and evil. Despite the caricaturish writing, the actor tries his best to make the character appear genuine. Ali Fazal as Habib Anwar delivers another performance that leaves you impressed. Besides them, Kanikka Kapur as Nishat, Khushi Hajare as Tanno, and Ira Sandhir as Tabassum are among the other actors who play their parts well.
To sum it up, Rajkumar Santoshi’s Batwara 1947 may be far from perfect, but its heart is firmly in the right place. In a world fuelled by hatred, violence and religious disharmony, the film arrives as a beacon of light for those consumed by such corrosive emotions. It entertains, but it also leaves behind an important message of peace and brotherhood. Most crucially, it makes a persuasive case for the old warning that an eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind.
About the Author
Yatamanyu Narain is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for all things entertainment. Whether he\’s breaking the latest Bollywood news or chatting with rising stars in the OTT world, he’s always…Read More
August 14, 2026, 15:27 IST
