‘Batwara 1947’: Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta and Rajkumar Santoshi on revisiting the trauma of Partition

In his final film Ikkis , legendary actor Dharmendra travelled across the border and added a touch of healing to the trauma of Partition. Over eight months after Ikkis , Sunny Deol is seen going to Pakistan in his upcoming historical-drama, Batwara 1947 , invoking a similar idea of love and brotherhood. Interestingly, Dharmendra was present when the film was narrated to Sunny by director Rajkumar Santoshi. “He got emotional upon hearing it,” recalls Preity Zinta, who plays a pivotal role in the film. Seated beside her, Sunny’s eyes are outlined with tears as he tells The Hindu that Dharmendra had seen a version of the film before his death in November last year. “Papa loved it,” Sunny says.