Santoshi Rejects Azmi's Theory on Batwara 1947 Failure, Cites Bachchan's Muslim Roles

Filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi has publicly disagreed with veteran actress Shabana Azmi's assessment of why his period drama Batwara 1947 underperformed at the box office. Azmi had earlier suggested that audiences may have struggled to accept Sunny Deol in the role of a Muslim character.

In a recent interaction, Santoshi questioned this reasoning, pointing to the history of Hindi cinema where actors from various backgrounds have portrayed characters of different faiths. He specifically referenced Amitabh Bachchan's acclaimed performances as Muslim protagonists in films like Coolie (1983) and the iconic Deewaar, where Bachchan's character wore a '786' pendant.

"It makes no sense to me," Santoshi said, according to the interaction. "Amitabh Bachchan played a Muslim hero in Coolie. So many of Manmohan Desai's films had Muslim heroes. Are we at a point where we cannot accept a hero from the other community?" He added that Indians are "sensible, good people, educated people" and questioned how such a decision could be seen as a mistake.

The director expressed concern that society has become "far less tolerant and inclusive as a people." He urged critics to focus on the filmmaker's intent and the writer's message rather than the actor's religious identity.

Santoshi also clarified his own religious standing, stating, "I'm a Hindu. I go to the temple. My son's name is Ram. I am not against any faith. But I want to take the best of every faith. Whatever the saints have tried to say about faith, it is always about equality. Hinduism has always been about inclusiveness, not exclusion."

Azmi, in her earlier comments to a media outlet, had expressed surprise at the film's reception. She noted that while Bachchan comfortably played Muslim characters in the past, the same acceptance was not extended to Deol. She also mentioned that even Pakistani actor Bushra Ahmed had objected to the film's Punjabi dialect, adding that if both communities are unhappy, it might indicate the film is "pure and beautiful."

The debate has now shifted from the film's commercial performance to broader questions about representation, religious identity, and the creative freedom to cast actors across communities in mainstream Hindi cinema.