- Sunny Deol avoided political remarks on Pakistan during the Batwara 1947 promotional event
- He recalled Dharmendra's remark about Pakistan
- Sunny denied Batwara 1947 was shot in Pakistan, confirming it was filmed in India
Sunny Deol avoided making any political remarks when asked about Pakistan during a promotional event for his upcoming film Batwara 1947 in Patna on Sunday. Instead, the actor recalled his father Dharmendra's well-known remark about Pakistan being his "mausi" (maternal aunt), saying the two countries were once one before Partition.
Sunny was joined by his son Karan Deol at the press conference when a journalist asked him how he viewed Pakistan as a nation, given that Batwara 1947 is set against the backdrop of the India-Pakistan Partition. Before answering, he also dismissed a claim that the film had been shot in Pakistan.
"Ye vahan par nahi shoot kiya hai, ye Hindustan me shoot kiya hai," Sunny said.
He then explained why he did not want to comment on political matters and instead reflected on the shared history of India and Pakistan. Recalling Dharmendra's earlier statement, he said, "Hum feel ki baatein nahi karte because pura mulk ek hi tha. Jaise papa ne kaha ki ye meri maa hai aur vo meri mausi hai - ye toh aap log sab achi tarah se jante hain. Hum sab ek tarah se hain toh jude hue kahin na kahin se."
The actor stressed that he prefers to stay away from political debates and focus on storytelling.
"Main us sab me zyada jana nahi chahta lekin hum actors hain, we are makers. Hum kahaaniyaan chunte hain aur kahaaniyan banate hain. Usko phir hum yahan vahan, usko politically nahi le ke jate hain aur na jana chahte hain. Isilye main us sabki baat hi nahi karuga."
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, Batwara 1947 marks the reunion of Santoshi and Sunny Deol after nearly three decades. The two previously collaborated on hits such as Ghayal (1990), Damini (1993) and Ghatak (1996).
Produced by Aamir Khan and Aparna Purohit under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions, the film's music is composed by AR Rahman, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.
The film also reunites Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta, who last worked together in The Hero: Love Story of a Spy (2003). They more recently appeared in Bhaiaji Superhit.
Batwara 1947 is scheduled to release in cinemas on August 14, 2026.