Hema Malini calls Batwara 1947 ‘brilliant’, theatre veteran flags concerns

Hema Malini has praised Sunny Deol's film Batwara 1947 as 'simply brilliant' in a social media review. She said the film conveys what the nation needs today and hailed the direction by Rajkumar Santoshi along with outstanding performances by Sunny Deol and Shabana Azmi. The film, produced by Aamir Khan Productions, released on Independence Day.

However, Preeta Mathur, who has staged the original play Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya for over 20 years, told Bollywood Hungama that the film is 'nice and engaging' but raised several concerns. Mathur said the character of the old woman, played by Shabana Azmi, is shown as emotionally soft in the film compared to the stronger version in the play. She also noted that a scene where the old woman is dragged out of her house does not appear in the play and 'doesn't give a good impression of Lahore'.

Hindustan Times reports that Batwara 1947 has earned Rs 37 crore in its opening weekend and is competing with Emraan Hashmi's Awarapan 2. The newspaper's review noted that while the film is thought-provoking, it could have benefited from a tighter second half.