The trailer for Rajkumar Santoshi’s Batwara 1947 Movie introduces Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta as a couple celebrating India’s independence before their lives are upended by Partition violence. Deol fights to escort his family to Pakistan, where they encounter Shabana Azmi in a former Hindu haveli. Produced by Aamir Khan, the film adapts Asghar Wajahat’s acclaimed play on the human cost of 1947.

The makers of Rajkumar Santoshi’s Batwara 1947 have finally dropped its trailer. A glimpse into partition-era India, the film marks Santoshi’s first collaboration with Sunny Deol since Ghatak in 1996.

Headlined by Deol, the film also stars Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal, and Abhimanyu Singh.

Watch ‘Batwara 1947’ Trailer

Produced by Aamir Khan, and directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, the film brings back Sunny and Rajkumar after a long gap of 30 years. The duo was once known for delivering crowd-pleasing hits like Damini, Ghayal and Ghatak. In Sunny’s career, he has won two National Film Awards, and both of those have been for Santoshi’s films. In 1991, Sunny received a Special Jury Award for Ghayal, and in 1994, he won the Best Supporting Actor for Damini.

Cast

• Sunny Deol as Sikander Mirza
•  Preity Zinta as Hamida Mirza, Sikander’s wife
• Shabana Azmi as Durgavati Devi / Mai 
• Karan Deol as Javed Mirza, Sikander and Hamida’s son
• Ali Fazal as Habib Kazmi
• Abhimanyu Singh as Yaqoob Pehalwan
• Khushi Hajare as Tanvir Mirza, Sikander and Hamida’s daughter
• Kanikka Kapur
• Isha Sandhir as Tabassum
• Khalid Siddiqui as Ratan, Durgavati’s son
• Rukhsar Rehman as Ratan’s wife
• Parminder Singh Kainth as Muhammad Shah
• Shivika Rishi as Ratan’s daughter
• Annie Nagwani

Aamir Khan-Sunny Deol’s first collaboration

Batwara 1947 also marks Sunny’s first collaboration with Aamir Khan as the latter is producing the film under his banner. The film is said to be based on Asghar Wajahat’s 1989 play Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai (The one who hasn’t experienced Lahore, hasn’t lived yet). The title is based on an old Punjabi phrase.

The film was announced shortly after the success of Gadar 2, which marked Sunny’s return as a hit action hero. Batwara 1947 was previously titled Lahore 1947. In March 2026, it was rumoured that the film’s title would be changed to Batwara 1947, however, Aamir denied those rumours and told Bollywood Hungama at the time. “Where did you hear that? No, the title of our film has not changed. As of now, it is Lahore 1947, and that’s how I would like it to be,” he said. In June 2026, the new title was announced.

Sunny Deol-Rajkumar Santoshi’s ‘fallout’

Santoshi and Deol had a fallout during the making of their respective Bhagat Singh films in the early 2000s. It was reported that Santoshi was supposed to directed 23rd March 1931: Shaheed, which starred Bobby Deol in the lead role, and had Sunny in the role of Chandrashekhar Azad. The film was produced by Deols’ Vijayta Films. However, Santoshi bowed out of the project and made his own take on Bhagat Singh, starring Ajay Devgn, titled The Legend of Bhagat Singh. After the rift, the two never worked with each other.

Addressing their rift, Santoshi previously told News 18, “We did have a fallout. But he recognised me at a time when the world didn’t know me. Ghayal is my first film. He gave me the opportunity to make the film. He produced it. I was very new to the film industry but he gave me the full freedom to make the film my way. It is his greatness. Santoshi also directed Bobby Deol’s debut film Barsaat after Shekhar Kapur bowed out of the film after shooting it for a month.

‘Batwara 1947’ cast fees revealed

The film has an ensemble cast with Sunny Deol in the lead. The film’s story is set against one of the most traumatic events in Indian history: the partition. It is set for release in August 2026. As per reports, the film was made on a budget of Rs 150 crore. Some even claim it was made on Rs 60-65 crore.

However, Aamir Khan Productions or the makers have not yet shared the budget details. Regarding the cast fees, the reports are rife that Sunny Deol took home the highest pay cheque. BollywoodShaadis reported that Sunny Deol charged Rs 60 crore for his role in ‘Batwara 1947’. Sunny has already been riding high with his back-to-back successes such as ‘Gadar 2’ and ‘Border 2’.

Preity Zinta, who is also playing an important role in the film, reportedly charged Rs 10 crore for her character. Ali Fazal will also charge Rs 7 crore. On the other hand, Abhimanyu Singh took home a pay cheque of Rs 2 crore.

Music 

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Singer(s)
1.	“Kahaan Chale Gaye Ho Ram”	Javed Akhtar	A. R. Rahman	Shaan, Anuradha Paudwal
2.	“Tabassum”	Javed Akhtar	A. R. Rahman	Sonu Nigam, Heer

More about ‘Batwara 1947’

The film is set during the partition of India and Pakistan, which marked mass migration, communal violence and the displacement of many people after the end of the British Raj.

The story follows Sikander Mirza as he migrates with his Muslim family – his wife Hameeda, their son Javed, and daughter Tanvir – from Lucknow in United Provinces, India to Lahore in West Punjab, Pakistan. After living for some time at a refugee camp, they are allocated a big haveli, whose Hindu owners had been forced to leave and migrate to East Punjab in India, following the division of the Punjab province, due to partition. The tension intensifies when Sikander discovers an elderly haggared Punjabi Hindu woman still living in the haveli.

She accuses Sikander and his family of trespassing. The old matriarch, known only as Mai, claims to be the rightful owner of her ancestral haveli. Sikander is determined to get rid of the old woman, but she defiantly refuses. This unexpected encounter sparks mounting tensions and intricate emotional conflicts as the characters navigate their transformed reality against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent chapters in Indian history.

Marketing

The marketing campaign for Batwara 1947 included a nationwide promotional tour ahead of its theatrical release. In July 2026, the makers announced a 12-city tour during which members of the cast and crew would travel to different cities to interact with audiences and promote the film. The promotional tour included appearances by members of the principal cast, including Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta.

In August 2026, Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, and Karan Deol visited Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna, Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Amritsar as part of the film’s promotional activities. The cast’s appearances in different locations were used to connect the film’s Partition-era subject matter with audiences across India. Sunny Deol, Aamir Khan, and Preity Zinta will appear on the hot seats of Kaun Banega Crorepati to promote Batwara 1947, alongside host Amitabh Bachchan.

The campaign also incorporated the nostalgia surrounding the reunion of Sunny Deol and director Rajkumar Santoshi, who had previously collaborated on Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak. PVR INOX subsequently re-released Santoshi’s Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak in cinemas ahead of Batwara 1947, as part of the promotional campaign surrounding the film.

The promotional campaign was accompanied by the release of character posters, teasers, songs and the official trailer. The trailer and other promotional material emphasized the film’s setting during the Partition of India and its themes of displacement, communal tension, family and humanity.

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