Sunny Deol: ‘We Don’t Make Films To Propagate Hatred’
Ahead of Batwara 1947, he says his cinema is about love, not hate
Sunny Deol dismisses claims that his films promote cross-border hostility or hatred. From Gadar to his latest, Batwara 1947— where he plays a Muslim man protecting an elderly Hindu woman portrayed by Shabana Azmi — Deol says his cinema has always been driven by emotion, not antagonism.
“We don’t make films to spread hatred. Our films are rooted in society. We don’t chase controversy. When people watch them, they connect emotionally. They find a sense of belonging and reflect on moments from their own lives, whether they’ve lived them or not. That’s the kind of cinema I love to make. And that’s what Batwara is.”
Reflecting on his long creative partnership with director Rajkumar Santoshi, Deol calls Batwara 1947 a particularly special collaboration. “We’ve done landmark films together Ghayal, Ghatak, Damini. This is our first since Ghatak in 1996. Whenever one of us pitches an idea, it just clicks. If the story is good, we both get equally excited because our wavelengths match. We challenge each other constantly. Yes, there are retakes and disagreements, but the end result is always beautiful.”
For Deol, Batwara 1947 is also deeply personal — it was the last film his late father, legendary actor Dharmendra, watched before he passed away.
“This film was blessed by my father in many ways. He heard the narration and got emotional.”
