'Couldn't Accept Sunny Deol As Muslim': Shabana Azmi On 'Batwara 1947' Box Office Failure

Shabana Azmi has talked about the disappointing theatrical run of Batwara 1947, questioning why audiences appeared reluctant to accept Sunny Deol in the role of a Muslim character. he Partition-era drama, released on August 14, has struggled at the box office despite receiving praise from people who have watched it.

The film opened alongside Emraan Hashmi's Awarapan 2, which has performed significantly better commercially. The stark gap between the film's reception among some viewers and its theatrical performance has left Shabana Azmi surprised.

Speaking to Zoom, the actor said she had repeatedly heard positive comments about the film and its message of humanity, yet those sentiments hadn't translated into strong footfall at cinemas. Shabana 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 the." She also pointed to what she believes could be an important factor behind the film's muted response, viewers' difficulty in seeing Sunny Deol as a Muslim.

Drawing a comparison with Amitabh Bachchan's earlier portrayals, Azmi said, "The thing is that you cannot accept Sunny Deol as a Muslim. In Coolie and in many other films, Amitabh Bachchan very comfortably played Muslim characters.

In Deewaar, he put 786 and that was accepted. So how do we understand this? Are they creating an environment where such decisions are being taken on purpose? I am not able to understand." Azmi further claimed that even people who had seen the film were misunderstanding Deol's character.

She said, "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. Even Bushra Ahmed (Pakistani actor) objected to the film's language.

She said the Punjabi dialect used by the villain is not right. If both religions are not liking the film, it means it is something which is pure and beautiful." Azmi also rejected the idea that the film itself is politically problematic.

According to the actor, the difficulty may instead lie in how audiences respond to stories dealing with India and Pakistan against the backdrop of Partition. She said, "The problem is that you cannot touch the subject of Hindustan and Pakistan in this setup, which is very disappointing.

This is a film which is politically not incorrect in any way. You can't find fault with it. Sunny has done a very good job. It is very surprising and also contradictory that when I meet people, why are they praising the film so much?" According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Batwara 1947 has grossed Rs 54.03 crore worldwide, comprising Rs 44.98 crore from India and Rs 9.05 crore from overseas markets.

The film's India net collection stands at Rs 37.93 crore, with the earnings recorded across 69,157 shows. On its opening day, Batwara 1947 collected Rs 5.75 crore net in India from 8,721 shows. Its India gross stood at Rs 6.84 crore, while the film added Rs 1.50 crore from overseas markets, taking its opening-day worldwide gross to Rs 8.34 crore.

She is surprised by the film's poor box office performance despite receiving positive feedback from viewers. She questions why audiences did not turn up in theaters. Azmi believes audiences might have difficulty accepting Sunny Deol in the role of a Muslim character.

She notes this is surprising, given Amitabh Bachchan's past roles. The film has struggled, grossing Rs 54.03 crore worldwide, with an India net collection of Rs 37.93 crore. It also performed worse than Emraan Hashmi's 'Awarapan 2', which opened concurrently.

No, she rejects this idea, stating the film is not politically incorrect in any way. She suggests the difficulty might lie in how audiences respond to India-Pakistan Partition subjects.