# Hema Malini praises Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947, calls message timely 2026-08-17T12:06:13+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets BJP MP and veteran actress Hema Malini has publicly praised stepson Sunny Deol's latest film Batwara 1947, calling it 'brilliant' and its message 'the need of the hour'. In a post on X, she said the film reminds viewers that humanity, mutual respect, and harmony are more important than hatred and division. She also commended director Rajkumar Santoshi and the performances of Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, and Preity Zinta, and congratulated producer Aamir Khan. Free Press Journal reports that Batwara 1947 earned Rs 26.50 crore net in India over its first weekend, which it describes as disappointing against a reported budget of Rs 120 crore. Bollywood Hungama notes the film released worldwide on Partition Day, August 14, 2026, and marks the reunion of Santoshi and Sunny Deol after nearly three decades. ## Coverage - freepressjournal.in - bollywoodhungama.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-17T13:41:48+00:00. Tags: Aamir Khan, Batwara 1947, Hema Malini, Rajkumar Santoshi, Shabana Azmi, Sunny Deol Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/hema-malini-praises-sunny-deols-batwara-1947-calls-for-harmony/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/hema-malini-praises-sunny-deols-batwara-1947-calls-for-harmony/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/