Actor Sunny Deol has shared his views on Pakistan ahead of the release of his upcoming period drama Batwara 1947, saying that India and Pakistan remain connected because they were once part of the same nation, writes Cinema Express.
Speaking to journalists in Patna, Bihar, while promoting the film, Deol quoted his late father, veteran actor Dharmendra, and described Pakistan as India’s “mausi” (aunt). He also clarified that the film was shot entirely in India.
“We don’t talk about sentiments because the entire country was once one. As my father used to say, this is my mother and that is my aunt. We are all connected somewhere or the other,” Sunny said.
The actor, however, avoided making any political remarks, stressing that his role as an actor is to tell stories rather than engage in political debates.
“I don’t want to go into all that. We are actors and storytellers. We choose stories and bring them to life. We don’t want to take them in a political direction, so I won’t comment on those matters,” he added.
Sunny Deol previously served as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament from the Gurdaspur constituency between 2019 and 2024.
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, Batwara 1947 is set against the backdrop of the Partition of India and follows the story of a Muslim family navigating the upheaval of the period.
Sunny Deol plays the head of the family, while Preity Zinta stars as his wife and Karan Deol portrays their son.
Following Independence, the family is forced to migrate to Pakistan, where they are allotted a house already occupied by an elderly Punjabi woman, played by Shabana Azmi, who refuses to leave.
As communal tensions escalate in the town, Sunny’s character takes it upon himself to protect the elderly woman from violent extremists, forming the emotional core of the film.
The ensemble cast also includes Ali Fazal and Abhimanyu Singh in key roles.
Batwara 1947 is scheduled to hit cinemas on 14 August, where it will face a box-office clash with Emraan Hashmi’s action thriller Awarapan 2.
Sunny’s comments come as the film prepares for release, with its story rooted in one of the most significant chapters in the history of the Indian subcontinent.
The actor maintained that, despite the film’s historical backdrop, his focus remains on portraying compelling stories rather than engaging in political discourse.
