Sunny Deol: “Every Film Leaves Some Kind of Impact”
With Batwara 1947, Sunny Deol returns to a story rooted in Partition, family and the human cost of one of the most defining moments in Indian history. The actor reflects on why he sees the film as fundamentally different from Gadar, his long-standing association with director Rajkumar Santoshi, his father Dharmendra’s connection to their shared cinematic history, and the responsibility actors carry when their work leaves a lasting impact on audiences. In conversation with Lipika Varma, Sunny Deol also opens up about playing a character outside the action-driven image audiences often associate with him and working alongside his son Karan.
How did you approach the character in this film?
For me, it was the subject, the story and the character that I had heard about, and I approached it accordingly. I don’t know exactly what was tweaked. I didn’t read the original play or see it. Vivek Raj had read it, and we had been working on this story since 2010. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it back then, so we had been waiting all these years. As soon as we got the opportunity, we jumped into it.
Sunny, are you happy that your fans, including those in Pakistan, will get to see you in a completely different kind of role this time, without the iconic hand-pump moment or typical action scenes?
Actually, I don’t think it’s about that. Fans are always there, and they love you no matter what. Sometimes journalism and politics come into the picture and change the colours of things. But the actual viewer, the person sitting in the theatre and watching the film, doesn’t necessarily look at things that way. They simply watch the film.
I’ve met a lot of fans across the country and around the world throughout my career, and they love me because I have played characters they have connected with. There is nothing more complicated than that.
Gadar was a huge success and also had the Partition as an underlying element. With Batwara also dealing directly with the Partition, does it feel like a full-circle moment?
Gadar was not essentially a Partition story. It was a romantic story about a truck driver who falls in love with a girl whom he could never even imagine having as his wife. He kept playing her songs and eventually fell in love with her. Whatever happened to him was part of that story. It was essentially a family and romantic story, with the Partition as an undercurrent. There is always an undercurrent in stories, but that wasn’t the main story.
Batwara 1947, on the other hand, is fundamentally about the Partition. It is about a family, what happened to them, why it happened, how they dealt with it and how they moved forward with their lives despite all the sorrow and pain. That’s what this story is about.
The film is releasing around Independence Day. At a time when many feel that today’s generation is becoming disconnected from the meaning of war and freedom, how much can cinema contribute to reminding people of that history?
Cinema has always been a reflection of society. A good film reflects the society it comes from. That’s why people continue to watch films; they know they will find something in them that connects with them. Several decades have passed, and there are many people today who don’t know what war was actually like. But they are still curious to understand it.
The way Raj has written and directed this story, audiences will get immersed in it. They will experience what happened during that period. Whether something was right or wrong is a different discussion, but at least they will understand what happened and how people experienced it.
The film also connects you with your father, Dharmendra, and his film Batwara. What does that connection mean to you?
Raj and I actually met through Batwara. We went to the Batwara set, where my father heard the story of Ghayal. He said, “Go ahead.” He also said that if he was going to produce the film, his name should be there. That’s where things started between Raj and me.
All the films I’ve done have been about families and strong emotions. Batwara was also like that. The response to the film has been wonderful, and I have a strong feeling that people will really like this film. Raj and I have done three films together before, and this is our fourth. Whenever we come together, we try to create something meaningful.
What message do you think Batwara carries for today’s audience?
Every film has a message, and nothing happens without leaving some kind of impact. As actors, we don’t realise how much a character we play can change someone’s life or inspire them. We simply do our work, have fun and move on, without realising the impact we can have on an audience.
I remember after Border, I was in England when a young boy came up to me at a petrol pump. He said, “Paaji, I want to touch your feet.” He then spoke to me about Border and told me how much the film had affected him. Later, while shooting Border 2 in Dehradun, a soldier stopped me. At first, he said he didn’t want to meet me. Then he took hold of his uniform and told me, “This uniform is because of you.”
It was overwhelming and humbling. You start wondering, “What have I done?” I’m just a normal person. But the films we make can have an effect on people. That’s why I believe we have a responsibility to give the youth and humanity something meaningful: to encourage people to be good human beings, to be courageous, to stand up for what is right and to walk with truth.
Sunny, what is your reaction to Karan being cast in the film?
I think you’ve seen the film and the response it has received. I’ve also seen the film. Obviously, he is my son. But I’m also looking at him as an actor, and because I’ve directed him as well, I’ve seen how much he has grown. He has grown tremendously as an actor, and I’m very proud of him. I just hope that after this film, he regains the confidence that he needs. He has done a good job.
