Rajkumar Santoshi has rejected the theory that Sunny Deol’s portrayal of a Muslim character was one of the reasons Batwara 1947 failed at the box office. The filmmaker questioned the idea that audiences would be unable to accept a familiar Hindi film hero playing a character from another community.
Batwara 1947, starring Sunny Deol as Sikandar Mirza, an Indian Muslim whose life is thrown into turmoil during the Partition, received a mixed response and struggled commercially.
The film, produced by Aamir Khan, was released alongside Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2, which performed better in theatres.
Veteran actor Shabana Azmi, who features in both films, recently spoke about the contrasting response to the two releases. While she said she was pleased with the response to Awarapan 2, she admitted that she was surprised by the lack of theatrical interest in Batwara 1947.
What Did Shabana Azmi Say About Sunny Deol’s Role?
In an interview with Zoom for Spotlight Sessions, Shabana questioned whether Sunny Deol’s established image as an action and patriotic hero affected the audience’s response to the film.
She said, “I am very surprised at the total box office disaster Batwara 1947 has been. I am surrounded by people who come and tell me that they loved the film and they loved the message and it makes them feel hatred se uthke humanity ki baat kar rahe hain, uski itni ahmiyat hai iss mahaul mein. Dusri taraf se log gaye nahi theatres mein aur jo gaye, unke confused reactions thein (moving away from hatred and talking about humanity, which is so important in the current environment. On the other hand, people did not go to theatres, and those who did had confused reactions).”
She went on to question why some viewers struggled to see Sunny as a Muslim character, drawing a comparison with Amitabh Bachchan’s portrayal of Muslim characters in films such as Coolie.
Shabana said, “Matlab Sunny Deol ko aap Musalman kyun nahi dekh sakte? Coolie jaise filmein thi jismein Amitabh Bachchan bade aaram se Muslim characters karte thein. 786 laga lete the aur usko bilkul accept kiya jata hai. Ab ismein kya samjhe ki aisa mahaul banaya ja raha hai humare yahan jismein iss tarah ki divisions jaanbujhkar ho rahi hai? Meri samajh mein nahi aa raha (There were films like Coolie in which Amitabh Bachchan played Muslim characters quite comfortably. They would have 786 associated with them, and it was completely accepted. What are we supposed to understand from this? Is such an environment being created here where these kinds of divisions are deliberately being encouraged? I don’t understand).”
She also recalled reactions from some viewers who mistakenly believed that Sunny was playing a Pakistani character in the film.
She said, “Mujhe toh iss baat ki hairat hai ki yahan log hai unko aitraaz hai ki Sunny Deol Musalman kyun play kar rahe hai. Uspe bhi kuch bol rahe hain ki Pakistani play kar raha hai. Voh Pakistani play nahi kar rahe hain, aap toh film dekhke aaye hain. It is not registering. Upar se Bushra Ahmed bol rahi hai ki yeh Punjabi kis tarah bol rahe hain. Unko bhi buri lag rahi hai (I am surprised that there are people here who object to Sunny Deol playing a Muslim. Some are even saying that he is playing a Pakistani. He is not playing a Pakistani; you have watched the film. On top of that, Bushra Ahmed is saying, ‘Why is he speaking Punjabi like this?’ She also does not like it).”
Rajkumar Santoshi Disagrees With The Theory
Santoshi, however, does not agree that Sunny’s Muslim identity in Batwara 1947 was a reason for the film’s poor performance. Responding to the observation, the filmmaker pointed to Amitabh Bachchan’s Coolie and the many films of filmmaker Manmohan Desai that featured Muslim heroes.
Speaking to Variety India, Santoshi said, “It makes no sense to me. Amitabh Bachchan played a Muslim hero in ‘Coolie.’ So many of Manmohan Desai’s films had Muslim heroes. Are we at a point where we cannot accept a hero from the other community? We are sensible, good people, educated people. How are they saying there’s a big mistake in the film?”
The filmmaker also reflected on how the response to some of his earlier work could be different if those films were made today.
Santoshi believes that filmmakers and audiences should focus on the intention behind a story rather than viewing it through religious divisions.
He said, “We have become far less tolerant and inclusive as a people. You should look at the filmmaker’s intent and what the writer wants to say. I’m a Hindu. I go to the temple. My son’s name is Ram. I am not against any faith. But I want to take the best of every faith. Whatever the saints have tried to say about faith, it is always about equality. Hinduism has always been about inclusiveness, not exclusion.”
Despite the disappointing box office performance of Batwara 1947, Santoshi is keen to reunite with Sunny Deol.
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