'You Cannot Accept Sunny Deol As A Muslim': Shabana Azmi Says She Was 'Surprised' By Batwara 1947 Box Office Failure

Actress Shabana Azmi has expressed her surprise over the poor box-office performance of Batwara 1947, which was released on August 14 starring Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta, saying she has received positive feedback from people who watched the film but believes its message failed to translate into theatrical footfall.

Shabana Azmi Points To Sunny Deol's Muslim Role

In a conversation with Zoom, Shabana opened up about the film’s reception and questioned why audiences appeared reluctant to accept Sunny in the role of a Muslim character. The veteran actress said that many people had told her they loved the film’s message and felt that it was important to speak about humanity in today’s environment.

However, she noted that despite the positive feedback, audiences did not turn up in large numbers at theatres, while those who watched the film walked out with confused reactions.

Azmi also claimed that some viewers misunderstood the character played by Sunny Deol, believing that he was portraying a Pakistani. According to her, this was not the case.

'People Think Sunny Deol Is Playing A Pakistani'

“I am surprised at how people are reacting to it. Even the ones who have watched the film think Sunny Deol is playing a Pakistani. He is not. It is simply not registering in their heads,” she said.

The actress also referred to criticism from Pakistani actor Bushra Ahmed, who reportedly objected to the film’s language and the Punjabi dialect used by the villain. Azmi said the criticism from both sides was, in a way, evidence of the film’s larger message.

Addressing the broader sensitivity surrounding stories about India and Pakistan, Azmi said she found the situation disappointing. "The problem is that you cannot touch the subject of Hindustan and Pakistan in this setup, which is very disappointing," she said, adding that she did not believe the film was politically incorrect.