Veteran actor Shabana Azmi recently had two big releases, Batwara 1947 and Awarapan 2, both of which incidentally released on the same day. While Awarapan 2 has emerged as a massive hit, Batwara 1947 failed to set the box office registers ringing. During a recent interview, Shabana Azmi reflected on the latter’s failure, and its possible links with Sunny Deol playing a Muslim protagonist.
Speaking with Zoom, Shabana said about the audience, “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.”
Further expressing her surprise at the box office failure of Batwara 1947, Shabana added, “I am surrounded by people who tell me they have loved the film and the message. On the other hand, people didn’t go to the theatre and the ones who did, they walked out with confused reactions. 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.”
Backed by Aamir Khan, Batwara 1947 also starred Preity Zinta, marking the reunion of Sunny Deol and director Rajkumar Santoshi. Reportedly made on a made of 130 crores, the film has grossed nearly Rs 54 crores worldwide.
On the other hand, Awarapan 2 recently crossed the 200 crore figure at global box office. The sequel also starred Disha Patani.
