Batwara 1947 Review: A Sincere portrayal of humanity in the darkest days of partition
Batwara 1947 Movie Rating: 3 Stars
Watched Batwara 1947 movie in Cinema. Let’s focus on the complete details, story, positive/negatives and at last my view on this movie.
Cast: Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal, Abhimanyu Singh, Khushi Hajare, Kanikka Kapur, Waseem Rajput, and Isha Sandhir
Director: Rajkumar Santoshi
Release Date: 14th August 2026 in cinemas
Story: On the eve of Independence, Meerut-based Sikandar Mirza (Sunny Deol) is celebrating India’s freedom from British rule. Communal riots have broken out in several parts of the country, but Sikandar believes that the violence will soon subside. However, as India attains Independence at the stroke of midnight, the situation spirals dangerously out of control.
While trying to make it to Lahore, Sikandar and Hameeda’s (Preity Zinta) son Javed (Karan Deol) gets left behind. This is followed by the equally harrowing experience of trying to find a roof over their heads, as the family is holed up in a relief camp for months on end. That is until a shayar, Habib Anwar (Ali Fazal) transfers to them the haveli allotted to him.
The family is taken aback to find an elderly Hindu Punjabi woman Durgavati (Shabana Azmi) still living there and refusing to leave, no matter what. The Mirzas initially try to deceive her into leaving her own house but eventually come around to coexisting with her, as they practise different faiths harmoniously under the same roof.
The rest of the story revolves around the nefarious Yakub (Abhimanyu Singh) who tries to disrupt the peace and drive Mai out of the haveli so he can encroach on it. But he must first face Sikandar, who has vowed to protect her at all costs.
Positives
1. Performances
2. Cinematography
3. Climax
4. Direction
Negatives
1. Length
2. Music
3. Uneven Screenplay
4. Story
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this film plan to watch it on its release date as liked the trailer and also loved previous movie of actor-director duo. The film follows Sikander Mirza and his family as they migrate from Meerut to Lahore during the India-Pakistan Partition. They are allotted the haveli of Durgavati, aka Mai, a Hindu woman who refuses to leave until her missing son returns. The family’s initial hostility towards her gradually gives way to affection as they rise above hatred and religious differences.
Batwara 1947 movie is based on Professor Asghar Wajahat’s 1989 play, Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai. Story is interesting and has all the ingredients for a hard-hitting yet deeply emotional film but given that the backdrop is the Partition of India, the story of an old Hindu woman, who refuses to leave her home in Lahore (Pakistan) and go to Hindustan, seems too ‘trivial’. Had the backdrop not been so huge (the Partition was just too big), the story per se would’ve appealed much more because of the human drama. It is a film about Partition, but more importantly, it is a film about what survives after Partition has done its worst. In an age when communal hatred is too often packaged as patriotism and cinema is increasingly tempted to pick sides, Santoshi’s film dares to make a simpler, more radical argument hatred is the real enemy. Some scenes in the drama are very effective. Mai dies of natural causes, and the entire locality turns up for her funeral. Sikandar performs her last rites according to Hindu tradition, as a son would. In that moment, the borders, religions and identities that have divided these people become meaningless. What remains is love. A Muslim man in Lahore gives a Hindu woman the farewell she deserves. It is the film’s most powerful answer to Partition’s legacy. It could make the weak-hearted cry! The scene in which Muslims living in Hindustan are trying to board the train to Pakistan is terrific. Similarly, the scene in which Sikandar Mirza loses his temper when he is not allotted a house in Lahore despite his daughter being very unwell in the camp is superb. But there should’ve been many more heartwarming and emotional moments. Several scenes underline this idea. A Muslim family celebrates Diwali. A Muslim man lights a diya near the Krishna Tulsi plant. Santoshi and producers Aamir Khan and Aparna Purohit deserve credit for making a film like this in today’s poisoned environment. At a time when cinema can so easily become a megaphone for propaganda, movie chooses the harder road. It does not deny Partition’s horrors or sanities the violence. It looks directly at the bloodshed and then asks what we choose to do with that memory. Do we inherit the hatred of our parents, or do we break the cycle? Santosh Sivan’s cinematography gives Lahore a haunting, lived-in quality, while the production and costume design convincingly recreate an era torn apart by history.
Sunny Deol does an excellent job as Sikandar Mirza but frankly, the role should’ve been given to a new actor without any image because the character has villainish traits in the first half. Having said that, it must be mentioned that Sunny has acted well in emotional, dramatic and melodramatic scenes and is, of course, terrific in action scenes. Shabana Azmi is superb as the old Hindu lady. She lives the character of the woman longing for her son and his family to return to their home. There is something deeply moving about the way she plays Mai’s gradual rediscovery of belonging. After losing almost everything, she finds a family in the very people who initially wanted her gone. Preity Zinta looks charming and acts naturally as Mirza’s wife. She quietly charts her character’s transformation from someone who resents Mai’s presence to a woman who cannot imagine the house without her. Abhimany Singh plays Yakub convincingly, but he doesn’t seem to be a formidable match for Sunny Deol’s character because he does not have a very menacing role and terrifying scenes. Ali Fazal, as Habib Anwar, a poet and voice of reason, brings much-needed sanity to the proceedings. One wishes the film had given him more to do. Karan Deol is decent, although some scenes could have been better. Rajkumar Santoshi’s direction is polished and stylish. Even though the script leaves a lot to be desired, Santoshi’s narration is impactful.
However, the film is far from perfect. The screenplay is good in parts only. The portion in which Sikandar Mirza and his wife plot and plan against Maai (the old Hindu woman) so that she leaves her home (which has now been allotted to the Mirzas) fails to impress; rather, it puts off the audience because the hero and his wife are shown to be mean and heartless. Since the character of Sikandar Mirza is played by Sunny Deol, it will be difficult for the audience, especially the actor’s fans, to see him play such a mean and selfish character. Since Mirza himself was reluctant to leave Hindustan and come to Pakistan merely because he is a Muslim, how difficult could it be for him to understand the sentiments of the old Hindu woman when she says that she would not dream of leaving her home in Lahore and going to Hindustan simply because she has lived here (in Lahore) all her life?! There’s a scene in which the old lady’s manager informs Mirza that the old lady’s family members had been burnt alive in the riots but that nobody in the neighborhood had the heart to break the sad news to the old lady. This scene makes the viewers wonder what prevented the evil Yakub (Abhimanyu Singh) from breaking this terrible news to the old lady. For, there were very good chances that the lady would die of shock on hearing the sad news, something which would’ve served Yakub’s purpose because he was eyeing the lady’s huge haveli and wealth. It is understandable that the good neighbors were reluctant to inform the lady about the killings of her family members, but Yakub surely couldn’t have been so considerate as to not tell her the bad news. At the core, the story and drama are about one old Hindu lady who refuses to be evicted from her home in Lahore (Pakistan). Firstly, this seems too ‘trivial’ a story because it is set against the huge backdrop of the Partition, and secondly, it is doubtful if the younger generation in large numbers would be interested in watching the story of an old woman who, it must be repeated, is the actual heroine of the drama. The film has been promoted as a mass entertainer replete with action. Those expecting Sunny Deol bashing up baddies at regular intervals will be disappointed. This is because there are very few action moments. There was a potential for the same even in movie, but the makers let go of the opportunity. The length is another issue. The film drags in the middle of the second half. A R Rahman’s music is underwhelming.
Overall, movie is a film about choosing humanity over hatred. It is a well-intentioned and moving tale of humanity that benefits immensely from strong performances by Sunny Deol and Shabana Azmi. However, the lack of regular action and powerful mass moments, coupled with a lengthy second half, prevents it from becoming a hard-hitting entertainer. It has its moments; its uneven treatment and overstretched narrative dilute the impact of its powerful message. My view on this film Time Pass and also recommended for those to whom Partition stories and films that focus on human relationships amid conflict finds interesting.
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