Actor Shabana Azmi has spoken about the poor performance of the film Batwara 1947 on the big screen, as she finds it surprising that despite being a film by Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta, it did not manage to garner much attention. Based on the issue of Partition, and emphasizing on the humane side of communal harmony, the movie grossed around ₹37–37.7 crore in India with a production cost of ₹120–150 crore.
Although she received good comments from the audience who had watched the film, Azmi feels that some of them might not have been able to comprehend the character played by Sunny Deol. It seems that many considered him as a Pakistani, whereas he was actually a Muslim.
Shabana Azmi Questions Batwara 1947’s Poor Box Office Response
In an interview with Zoom, Shabana Azmi stated that she was surprised with the performance of the movie because those who viewed the movie appreciated its message. As per the actor, Batwara 1947 tried to view Partition as a human experience rather than viewing it as just politics.
She believed that the message of communal harmony contained in the film struck a chord with the people who actually viewed it, which made it surprising for it to perform poorly at the box office. However, despite receiving positive reviews, the revenue generated was still quite far from the estimated budget of the film.
‘You Cannot Accept Sunny Deol As A Muslim’: Azmi’s Observation
Among the most compelling arguments that were put forward by Shabana is the fact that the audience was confused about the nationality of the character played by Sunny Deol. According to her, even those people who had seen the film thought that Sunny Deol was playing a Pakistani.
Azmi stated that the character is Muslim and asked whether it was hard for the audiences to believe that Sunny Deol could play such a role. This question of hers has become one of the most talked-about issues raised by her while speaking about the movie.
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Batwara 1947 Focuses On Partition And Communal Harmony
The movie Batwara 1947 was released on August 14 and is based on the backdrop of the Partition of India, an extremely painful period in the history of the region. It is acted by Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta and tries to depict the human side of this event.
While not dealing with the Partition as a historical fact, the movie concentrates on how this fact affects common people and their bonds. The main theme of the movie is humanity and harmony in spite of religious differences. According to Shabana Azmi’s remarks, the audience understood the main idea of the movie.
Batwara 1947 Struggles At The Box Office Despite Positive Feedback
This kind of performance in the domestic market is quite challenging for the film. Having made about ₹37 – 37.7 crore in India, where its budget was probably in the range of ₹120 – 150 crore, Batwara 1947 reportedly became a box office failure.
Nevertheless, the performance of the film at the box office does not mean that its reception has been positive in the opinion of every person. The remarks of Shabana Azmi can be taken as an example of the difference between a film being appreciated and successful on the box office.
Moreover, the issue of Sunny Deol's Muslim character can be considered as another aspect of the film's post-release discussion. In spite of the fact that Azmi suggests that the character might have been challenging for some viewers, the general message of the film has kept being noticed by the people who had watched it.
For now, Batwara 1947 can be called a film, which has failed to achieve success in terms of box office performance. At the same time, it has attempted to depict a story of humanism, communal harmony, and trauma of the partition.
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