‘Things were so erratic, there was just disbelief all over’: Sunny Deol on his partition roles in ‘Batwara 1947’ and ‘Gadar’

Sunny Deol‘s upcoming release, ‘Batwara 1947’, is scheduled to open in theatres on August 14. Ahead of its release, the actor shared his thoughts on whether there’s any overlap between his part in Rajkumar Santoshi‘s Partition drama and his widely loved character, Tara Singh, from the ‘Gadar’ series, which also explored the same historical backdrop.

Sunny Deol on how Tara Singh and Sikandar Mirza differ

In an interview with NDTV, Sunny said, “It’s a family film. All the films that Raj and I have done are relatable to society. The characters are very relatable as they are connected to the grassroots. About Tara Singh and Sikandar Mirza, they are two different kinds of heroes. Tara Singh is a hero who does romance, he has a certain kind of strength. He has a huge arc. But this is a story of a family. Sikandar Mirza and his family were so happy when India got independence, but they were shattered when the country was partitioned. Things were so erratic, there was just disbelief all over.”He further added, “This film is a journey of this man and his family, who represent all families in the middle of Partition. Today’s generation needs to discover this (Partition), just like our old films Ghayal, Ghatak, and Damini. I request Gen Z and my fans to watch the film.”

Sunny Deol recalls family stories from the Partition era

Reflecting on Partition-era stories passed down by parents and grandparents, Sunny said, “We have always helped people regardless of who is who or where they come from. We have always believed in loving and living our life like that, sharing whenever required. This is how we have been as a family. Our dad once told us how our granny had protected a girl in that moment, who spent the night at our house. There was a lot of tension around. The next morning my grandfather went to drop her off.”

Sunny Deol’s iconic ‘Gadar’ legacy

‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’, directed by Anil Sharma and starring Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel, and Amrish Puri, went on to become one of Indian cinema’s biggest hits, even while facing stiff competition from Aamir Khan’s ‘Lagaan’ in theatres. Set against the turmoil of the Partition, the film narrated the emotional tale of Tara Singh and Sakina, separated when Sakina’s father forces her to stay behind in Pakistan with their son, driving Tara to undertake a daring journey across the border to bring his family back. The film’s overwhelming success led to a sequel, ‘Gadar 2’, which brought Sunny and Ameesha together once more and released on August 11, 2023, to strong audience approval. Anil Sharma has since revealed that work on ‘Gadar 3’ is underway, with a possible release date in 2027.

Sunny Deol reunites with Rajkumar Santoshi and Preity Zinta

Helmed by National Award-winning filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi, ‘Batwara 1947’ brings Santoshi and Sunny Deol back together after nearly 30 years, following their earlier collaborations on films like ‘Ghayal’ (1990), ‘Damini’ (1993) and ‘Ghatak’ (1996). The film also marks a reunion between Sunny and Preity Zinta, who were last seen together in ‘The Hero: Love Story of a Spy’ (2003) before more recently sharing screen space in ‘Bhaiaji Superhit’. ‘Batwara 1947’ is slated to release on August 14, 2026.