Rajkumar Santoshi rejects Shabana Azmi's theory on Sunny Deol's Muslim role in Batwara 1947: 'Even Big B played it'
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
Sunny Deol's latest outing, Batwara 1947 , was among the most anticipated films of the year, but it received mixed reviews from critics and its ticket-window performance also remained subpar. Of late, Shabana Azmi blamed the movie's ticket-window failure on the audience not accepting Sunny Deol playing a Muslim character in the movie, as it goes against his “action patriot” image. Now, the movie's director, Rajkumar Santoshi, has reacted to the same.
Adding to this, Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi and Preity Zinta played lead roles in Batwara 1947. 'Makes no sense to me' In conversation with Variety India, Rajkumar rejected Shabana's theory and cited how even a superstar like Amitabh Bachchan has played Muslim characters in the past. He shared, “It makes no sense to me. Amitabh Bachchan played a Muslim hero in ‘Coolie.’ 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 movie?”
Meanwhile, In the same interview, however, Rajkumar accepted that 'we have become far less tolerant and inclusive'. Talking about his 2001 movie Lajja and how today's audience may not accept the movie's segment based on the Ramayana, he shared, “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. 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.”
Notably, In conversation with Zoom, Shabana Azmi spoke about Batwara 1947's failure and shared, “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. I am surprised at how people are reacting to it. Even the ones who have watched the movie think Sunny Deol is playing a Pakistani. He is not. It is simply not registering in their heads."
As per the latest buzz, The movie sees Sunny Deol play the character of Sikandar Mirza, who finds a Hindu woman, Mai, played by Shabana Azmi, living at the house allotted to him after Partition. He takes it upon himself to save Mai from religious extremists in Pakistan.
In further updates, Vibha Maru is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Entertainment, based in Delhi. With a decade of experience across digital and print media, she covers Bollywood, Hollywood and web shows. A self-confessed cinephile who breathes Hindi cinema, Vibha can often be found sacrificing sleep after binge-watching films and web series. Though she holds a Commerce degree, she discovered her true calling in journalism after enrolling at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). She began her career covering Delhi's cultural scene, food, nightlife, concerts, and city life at The Times of India, before moving into full-time entertainment journalism with India Today. At India Today, Vibha interviewed some of the biggest names in Bollywood and television while carving a niche for herself through movie reviews, opinion pieces, nostalgic features, star interviews, and trend-driven stories. She later brought her storytelling and editorial expertise to The Indian Express, where she continued to deepen her understanding of cinema through long-form entertainment explainers, retrospectives and feature writing. Now, as Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times Entertainment, Vibha continues to chronicle the world of movies and pop culture. Her work spans breaking entertainment news, exclusive interviews, star features, and stories that capture the conversations shaping Indian cinema. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times