'Batwara 1947': Sunny Deol Announces First Look and Release Date of Partition Drama

On June 9, Sunny Deol took to X to share the first-look video and release date of his upcoming Partition-era film, Batwara 1947, previously known as Lahore 1947, which is set to release on August 14, 2026.

Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan under Aamir Khan Productions, the film is based on playwright Asghar Wajahat's Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai, a play set against the backdrop of the Partition of India in 1947. The cast includes Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal, and Abhimanyu Singh.

The film's principal photography began in February 2024 and wrapped in October 2025. Initially slated for a January 2025 release, the film was delayed due to post-production work. The soundtrack is composed by A.R. Rahman with lyrics by Javed Akhtar, and cinematography is handled by Santosh Sivan.

The film marks the first collaboration between Santoshi and Deol since Ghatak in 1996, nearly three decades ago. Deol was last seen in Anurag Singh's Hindi action drama Border 2 earlier this year. His upcoming projects include Ikka, Gabru, and Ramayana: Part 1. 

Santoshi's previous works include Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh and Phata Poster Nikhla Hero, both films that he directed and wrote. His upcoming project, 21: Battle of Saragarhi, written and directed by Santoshi, is touted to be a war film starring Randeep Hooda, Vikramjeet Virk, and Apinderdeep Singh. Karan Deol, Sunny's son, last appeared in Velle in 2021, and also has Apne 2 in the pipeline.

Preity Zinta returns to Hindi cinema with this film after her last project, Bhaiaji Superhit!, in 2018, in which she co-starred with Deol. She also has Kunal Kemmu's dark comedy Vibe lined up, which releases on September 18, 2026.

Shabana Azmi plays a character named Mai in the film and was last seen in the Netflix series Dabba Cartel and in Faraz Arif Ansari's Bun Tikki. The film also stars Ali Fazal, whose recent projects include Metro in Dino and Thug Life. His upcoming releases include Mirzapur - The Movie releasing on September 4, 2026, and the Prime Video series Raakh.