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Aamir Khan Productions’ upcoming historical drama Batwara 1947, starring Shabana Azmi, Sunny Deol and Preity G Zinta, is preparing for one of the year’s major theatrical releases, with its promotional campaign now moving to Punjab.
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, the Partition-era film has generated considerable interest with its focus on the human stories and trauma surrounding the division of India in 1947.
The film’s promotional tour has already covered Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Patna and Lucknow. The team is now set to travel across Punjab, where Sunny Deol, his son Karan Deol and Preity G Zinta are expected to meet survivors of the Partition and visit the Partition Museum.
The Punjab leg of the campaign is expected to carry particular emotional significance, given the region’s central role in the events depicted in the film. The actors’ interaction with survivors will also give the promotional campaign a direct connection with people who experienced the upheaval firsthand.
Sunny Deol has previously spoken about his family’s experience of Partition. During the film’s trailer launch, the actor recalled hearing accounts from his grandparents, who were in Punjab during the division.
“We are from Punjab and during the Partition, my grandfather and grandmother were on the other side. I had heard many incidents from them, which were really very emotional,” Sunny said.
He recalled stories of ordinary people helping neighbours during the violence.
“I heard from them that in case of an untoward incident in any village, the rest of the villagers would come together to hide them and thus protect them from the rioters,” he said, describing the atmosphere at the time as one in which communities came together to protect people from violence.
The Partition of 1947 resulted in one of the largest mass migrations in modern history, with millions of people crossing newly created borders between India and Pakistan. Punjab was among the regions most severely affected by communal violence, displacement and the loss of homes and livelihoods.
That historical backdrop forms the foundation of Batwara 1947, which seeks to explore the personal consequences of Partition rather than focusing solely on its political history.
The involvement of the Partition Museum in the promotional campaign is expected to add another layer to the film’s public engagement. The museum in Amritsar preserves documents, photographs, personal belongings and oral histories connected to the Partition and its survivors.
For the cast, meeting survivors could provide an opportunity to connect the film’s fictional narrative with memories preserved across generations.
With its Punjab tour approaching, Batwara 1947 is expected to intensify its promotional activities ahead of its theatrical release. The combination of a veteran cast, Santoshi’s direction and the emotionally charged subject of Partition has positioned the film as one of the more anticipated Hindi releases of the year.
