Director Rajkumar Santoshi has opened up at length about the making, message and box office response to his recently released film Batwara 1947, describing the project as deeply personal and saying that its message of peace, brotherhood and humanity is more important to him than commercial numbers. Speaking at a press conference held after a special screening for spiritual leaders from different faiths, Santoshi became emotional while recalling the decade-long struggle behind the film and his belief in the story.
Explaining why the subject mattered so deeply to him, Santoshi said, “For me, this isn't just a film—it is a labor of love, a penance.” He recalled being moved by the story of a woman left behind in Lahore, waiting for her family, and the Muslim family devastated by Partition who returns to a city that has already taken almost everything from them. For Santoshi, the emotional heart of the story lies in the unlikely relationship that develops between people who have every reason to remain divided.
Santoshi explained that the woman, referred to simply as Mai, has suffered the loss of her own family but refuses to respond with hatred. Instead, she offers love to people who have themselves been destroyed by the violence of Partition. The director said this emotional idea became the foundation of the film and eventually turned into a ten-year struggle to bring the story to the screen.
“I’ve shared this story with many people; I’ve made all kinds of films—action, comedy—but back then, no one really supported me. It was a struggle that lasted ten years,” Santoshi revealed. He credited people who eventually stood behind the project, including Aamir Khan, whom he said supported him immensely during the film's release, and Sunny Deol, who immediately stood by the project after hearing the narration.
The director was particularly vocal about the film's attempt to place its message of religious harmony at the centre of a mainstream Hindi movie. He said that the film's hero does not shy away from expressing his faith while simultaneously speaking about peace and humanity.
Santoshi said, “To this day, no major Hindi film hero has spoken up so boldly. No one has declared that the Lord belongs to the entire universe, or that Islam is a religion of peace and friendship.” According to the filmmaker, that kind of dialogue can be difficult in an atmosphere where people are afraid of how such statements might be received.
The director also revealed that he faced threats during the making of the film because of its subject and dialogue. “Even when detractors threatened to kill me—I started receiving threats asking how I could say such things—I stood my ground,” he said, making it clear that he did not want fear to dictate what the film could or could not say.
One of the most emotional portions of Santoshi's address centred on the film's treatment of motherhood. He pointed out that the dialogue deliberately does not describe the central character as a “Hindu mother” but simply as a mother, because he believes motherhood should not be divided according to religion.
“Mothers shouldn't be classified. You’ve divided the world—you’ve divided everything—but don't divide mothers. A mother is a religion unto herself; for every human being, the first religion is their mother,” Santoshi said. He added that a child's first word is “Ma”, describing motherhood as the first universal connection shared by human beings.
Santoshi also spoke about the response of the people who worked on the film. According to him, around 90 percent of the people involved in the shoot, including the crowd, were Muslims, and he recalled seeing tears in their eyes during some of the sequences. For the director, that reaction became an important personal confirmation that he was moving in the right direction.
The filmmaker particularly highlighted the film's climax, where the hero walks through a gauntlet of swords while chanting the name of Ram. Santoshi said there were suggestions that the character should physically fight the antagonists, but he deliberately chose another path.
“What could be greater than this? It is said that the name of Ram is greater than Ram himself; seeing the hero emerge unscathed through the swords while chanting that name—that represents the victory of love and peace over hatred,” Santoshi explained.
The director's comments also turned candid when the subject shifted to the film's box office performance. Despite his emotional investment in the project, Santoshi admitted that the theatrical response had not been what he and Sunny Deol had hoped for.
“We had hoped for a better turnout. Sunny and I have done three very successful action films together—like Damini—but this time, people didn't come. I don't know why; I don't know what the misunderstanding was or what kept them away. I won't hesitate to say that I am disappointed,” he said.
Yet Santoshi insisted that he does not believe the commercial performance is the only measure of a film's success. Hearing the response from the spiritual leaders who attended the screening appeared to give him renewed confidence.
“Success isn't just about bank balances or box office numbers,” he said. “Even if the commercial performance wasn't great right now, I believe this film will become a stepping stone to carry that message of peace forward.”
The filmmaker also made a direct appeal to audiences and the media, asking people to watch Batwara 1947 before forming an opinion about it. Santoshi said that while every viewer has the right to criticise the film, he believes criticism should come after actually experiencing the movie rather than relying on assumptions or preconceived opinions.
“Many people form opinions without even seeing the movie; I want them to watch it, understand it for themselves, and if they don't like it, they are absolutely free to criticize or even abuse me—I am open to that,” he said. “Any work of art should be presented to the public—open to any feedback; I am ready to receive it. But please, actually watch the film.”
For Santoshi, the evening ultimately became about finding strength in the reaction of people who understood what he was trying to communicate. After admitting that he had been feeling low and uncertain about what came next, he said the support he received at the screening gave him the courage to continue.
“I had been feeling a bit low—unsure about the next steps or how to proceed—but you have given me strength and energy, and I will move forward with courage,” Santoshi concluded.
With Batwara 1947, Santoshi appears less interested in offering another conventional Partition drama and more determined to use the history of division to make an argument for humanity beyond religious and social boundaries. Whether the film eventually finds a larger audience or not, the director's own words make one thing clear: for him, this was never simply about making another film. It was about finally telling a story he had carried with him for a decade.