Batwara 1947 X Review: Sunny Deol-Preity Zinta's Period Film 'Will Make You Uncomfortable,' Say Netizens

Batwara 1947 X Review: Sunny Deol's period drama has finally hit the theatres today, August 14. It is one of the highly anticipated movies of 2026, but is receiving mixed reviews from the audience. The early cinemagoers penned their reviews on social media, praising the performance of the actors. However, it is the direction, dialogue and plot that didn't sit well with the audience.

Batwara 1947 leaves internet divided

Movie buffs who watched the early show of Batwara 1947 penned their reviews on X. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh called the movie "powerful" and praised the combination of Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi. "Based on #AsgharWajahat's acclaimed play 'Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai', the film revisits the horrors and upheaval of partition through an intense story. Santoshi handles the material with conviction... The recreated #Lahore of 1947 looks authentic, while the ambience effectively captures the turbulence, uncertainty, and fear of the period," an excerpt read.

A fan shared that at first the film made him feel "uncomfortable" before it made the user emotional. "I liked that #Batwara1947 made me uncomfortable before it made me emotional. Sikandar and Hamida both make choices in the first half that frustrated me. Nobody is presented as morally perfect. But as their fear, displacement and insecurity start making sense, you judge them differently. Good character writing does exactly that."

"#batwara1947 its a complete family movie take your parents to the theatre they will love it , and ladies ko movie zyada achi lagegi because of shabana ji's character," a fan wrote.

A user criticised the movie, calling it a "colossal disappointment". The user further wrote, "#Batwara1947 completely fails to do justice to one of the most sensitive and monumental chapters of human history. What could have been a deeply moving historical epic ends up as a superficial, poorly executed drama that lacks both soul and sincerity. The director deserves flak for a completely chaotic handling of the sensitive subject. The pacing is painfully sluggish, and the narrative energy drops to zero within the first twenty minutes. Instead of building tension or emotional depth, the storytelling meanders aimlessly through poorly constructed subplots."

Another user wrote, "Too Much Shouting : Sunny Deol relies heavily on high-volume monologues and over-the-top melodrama, which feels exhausting. Out​Dated & Slow: The storyline feels stuck in the past, with a slow second half and predictable."

All about Batwara 1947

Helmed by Rajkumar Santoshi, the film is based on Asghar Wajahat's drama Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai. The film marks Preity Zinta's comeback to the big screen after an 8-year hiatus. Apart from Sunny and Preity, the movie also stars Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal, Abhimanyu Singh and Khushi Hajare in pivotal roles.

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