Batwara 1947: Fantastic performances, Sluggish outdated cinema!!

Cast: Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi, Preity Zinta, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal, Kanikka Kapur & Abhimanyu Singh Directed by: Rajkumar Santoshi Musi...

Cast: Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi, Preity Zinta, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal, Kanikka Kapur & Abhimanyu Singh

Directed by: Rajkumar Santoshi

Music by: A R Rahman

#SNRating for #Batwara1947 : 2 & 1/2 stars out of 5.

This is the third time Sunny Deol goes to Pakistan and bashes up a dozen bozos there. Gadar 3, you might ask?!!

Nah, banish the thought. Sunny Paajee is a Muslim here, migrated to Pakistan after the batwara of undivided India. He warms up to the lone old Hindu lady (Shabana Azmi), whose kothi is alloted to him. Willing to go to any extent for his 'Mai', Paajee takes violent panga with the local ruffian turned politician (Abhimanyu Singh), even as he preaches Hindu Muslim bhaichaara on the streets of Lahore.

Rajkumar Santoshi's direction is basically rooted in the '90s, though he chooses a tame introduction to Sunny Deol. Something which his fans won't like!! The first half is excruciatingly slow, which frustrates the audience. Post interval, the film takes off with its finely executed action sequences and culminating in to a rousing climax.

A.R. Rahman disappoints yet again with a below average music score though Javed Akhtar's lyrics are soul stirring.

The performances are first rate. Sunny Deol owns the film completely and aces both, action as well as emotion. Shabana Azmi, always a splendid actor, nails it as the endearing all-forgiving Mai. She speaks volumes through her eyes than words. Kudos!! Preity Zinta is fantastic as Deol's begum, who braves everything with him. Abhimanyu Singh is menacing as the lead villain. Karan Deol is strictly okey dokey. Kanikka Kapur impresses as Nishat, Deol Junior's love interest.

Interestingly, Santoshi chooses Hindu actors to play Muslim characters and vice versa. Something Shyam Benegal achieved fantastically in his TV series Bharat Ek Khoj (1988), in which he cast Naseeruddin Shah as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Om Puri as Aurangzeb.

Technically brilliant and made with its dil and dimaag in the right place, Batwara 1947 nevertheless suffers from its sluggish pace and occasional boredom. More importantly, its timing feels unfortunate in an era of geopolitical hostility and simmering communal divisiveness.

The highly emotional climactic scene, which certainly moved me, had an opposite effect on the sparse crowd at Citylight Cinema, Matunga who were jeering and hooting loud in dissent. Sad!!


Reviewed by Sumeet Nadkarni (Editor & Reviewer SNRatings, Mumbai)