Ahead of the release of Batwara 1947, Sunny Deol recalled his late father Dharmendra's views on the historical and cultural ties between India and Pakistan.
He said that if India is considered his mother, Pakistan would be like an aunt, emphasising that people on both sides remain connected in several ways. His remarks, however, drew mixed reactions online, with some social media users even calling for a boycott of his upcoming film.
'Pakistan Is My Mother's Sister, My Aunt': Sunny Deol
During an interview, Sunny was asked about his views on Pakistan as a nation. Recalling his father's words, he said that India and Pakistan were once one nation and remain connected despite the Partition.
'We don't talk about how we feel because it was one nation only. Like my father said that if India is my mother, then Pakistan is my aunt. So, we all are, in some way or the other, are connected,' he said.
Sunny also revealed during the interview that Batwara 1947 was not filmed in Pakistan but was shot in India.
How Did Social Media Users React?
Sunny's remarks sparked mixed reactions online, with some users criticising his comments and others calling for a boycott of the film.
'They do not have any patriotism, all are same. They think only about money,' one social media user wrote.
'An actor who's making such films, what do you expect from him? They only care about money!' another commented.
A third user wrote, 'These actors are all has-beens. They should've retired a long time ago.'
'Boycott the movie. We were not going to watch it anyway,' read another comment.
About 'Batwara 1947'
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, Batwara 1947 is scheduled to release on August 14, a day before India's Independence Day. The film is produced by Aamir Khan and Aparna Purohit, with music composed by AR Rahman.
The film stars Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal, Abhimanyu Singh, Khushi Hajare and Kanikka Kapur in prominent roles.
Author : Arfa Javaid