Bollywood star Sunny Deol yesterday said his upcoming film ‘Batwara 1947’ is rooted in the idea that humanity transcends religious divides. Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan Productions, 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 choose 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, according to a PTI report, told reporters in Mumbai 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.
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).

Actor Shabana Azmi said her new movie ‘Batwara 1947’ captures universal human pain through the story of one family during Partition and hopefully, films like this will prevent such a genocide from ever happening again.

“The trailer got tears in my eyes. The film’s spirit and its humanity is very beautifully captured in the trailer. I’m very proud that we made this film and I believe the film is coming at the right time,” Azmi said at the trailer launch of the movie in Mumbai.

Sharing a behind-the-scenes difficult moment, the veteran actor said she found it challenging to shoot the emotionally intense sequences.