Sunny Deol avoids political comments on Pakistan during film promotion
Pakistan inevitably came up during a promotional press conference on Sunday for Bollywood actor Sunny Deol’s upcoming movie Batwara 1947. His response to questions from the Indian media sparked heated debate online.
The actor attended the event with his son and co-star, Karan Deol. A journalist asked him to share his views on “Pakistan as a nation” and its “atmosphere.”
Deol avoided giving a direct answer. Instead, he quoted his late father, Dharmendra.
“We can’t talk about how [we] feel about it because both countries were once one. As my father used to say, ‘This [India] is my mother and that [Pakistan] is my maternal aunt.’ You all know that. We’re all connected, in one way or another,” he said.
Dharmendra, who passed away last November, strongly supported better relations between India and Pakistan.
Deol distances himself from politics
Rather than commenting further on Pakistan, Deol highlighted his role as an actor and said he did not want to politicise his work.
“I don’t wish to get into all that. We are actors. We are makers. We choose stories and make stories. We don’t want to take them in a political direction, nor do we.”
Although Deol said he did not want to politicise the issue, the former BJP politician has starred in several highly political and patriotic films, including Border and Gadar. Many online users did not welcome his attempt to distance himself from politics or echo his father’s softer stance towards Pakistan.
Social media reacts
One X user criticised the actor for using “nationalistic jingoism” to fight elections in the past.
Others described him as “opportunistic.”
Many social media users also criticised what they viewed as his “support” for Pakistan.
Background to the controversy
Political relations between Pakistan and India have long remained strained. Tensions reached a peak after the four-day military conflict in May 2025.
India also imposed digital restrictions on Pakistani entertainment content. The measures included bans on YouTube channels and Instagram profiles of celebrities. Authorities even removed songs and images from streaming platforms such as Spotify.
Given that backdrop, a heated social media debate was almost inevitable because Batwara 1947 is set during the Partition.
The film tells the story of a Muslim family forced to flee to Pakistan during the violence of the Partition of British India. However, tensions continue to rise after the family discovers a Hindu woman, played by Shabana Azmi, living in the Lahore house allocated to them.
Release date
Rajkumar Santoshi directed Batwara 1947. The cast also includes Preity Zinta, Ali Fazal and Abhimanyu Singh. The film is scheduled for release on August 14.
