Rajkumar Santoshi rejects Shabana Azmi's theory that Batwara failed over Muslim hero

Filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi has disagreed with Shabana Azmi's suggestion that audiences may have struggled to accept Sunny Deol playing a Muslim character in Batwara 1947. The director questioned whether the casting could explain the film's poor theatrical performance, pointing to earlier instances of mainstream Hindi cinema featuring Muslim protagonists.Santoshi's comments came after Azmi spoke about her surprise at the film's box office performance and suggested that some viewers had misunderstood Sunny Deol's character. In separate interviews, both actors discussed the film's reception, its treatment of the India-Pakistan subject and whether changing attitudes towards faith and identity may have influenced how audiences responded to it.Speaking to Variety India, Santoshi rejected the idea that Sunny Deol's casting as a Muslim character was responsible for the film's poor performance."It makes no sense to me. Amitabh Bachchan played a Muslim hero in Coolie (1983). So many of Manmohan Desai's films had Muslim heroes. Are we at a point where we cannot accept a hero from the other community? We are sensible, good people, educated people. How are they saying there's a big mistake in the film?" he said. However, Santoshi acknowledged that the social climate may have changed since some of those films were made. Referring to a Ramayana-based sequence in his 2001 film Lajja, he said that recreating a similar scene may be difficult today."We have become far less tolerant and inclusive as a people. You should look at the filmmaker's intent and what the writer wants to say," he said. Santoshi also spoke about his personal approach to faith, saying he does not view his Hindu identity as being in conflict with respect for other religions."I'm a Hindu. I go to the temple. My son's name is Ram. I am not against any faith. But I want to take the best of every faith. Whatever the saints have tried to say about faith, it is always about equality. Hinduism has always been about inclusiveness, not exclusion," he said.What Shabana Azmi said about Batwara 1947Earlier, while discussing the film's performance with Zoom, Azmi said she was surprised by the extent of its box office failure, particularly because of the positive feedback she had received from people who watched it."Firstly, I am very surprised at the total box office disaster that Batwara 1947 has been because I am surrounded by people who come and tell me they have loved the film. They tell me that they loved the message. A lot of them feel that it is very important to speak about humanity in today's environment. On the other hand, people didn't go to the theatre and the ones who did, they walked out with confused reactions," the 75-year-old said.Azmi suggested Sunny Deol's casting may have affected the film's reception, comparing it with Amitabh Bachchan's Muslim characters in Coolie and Deewaar. She also said some viewers misunderstood Deol's character."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," she said.She added, "I am surprised at how people are reacting to it. Even the ones who watched the film think Sunny Deol is playing a Pakistani. He is not. It is simply not registering in their heads." Batwara 1947 stars Preity Zinta, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal, Abhimanyu Singh, Khushi Hajare and Kanikka Kapur in key roles. The film is backed by Aamir Khan and Aparna Purohit under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions.Mounted on a reported budget of Rs 150 crore, Batwara 1947 has earned Rs 54.03 crore gross worldwide so far, according to industry tracker Sacnilk.- EndsPublished On: Aug 31, 2026 06:25 IST