Preity Zinta addresses Batwara 1947 failure; says she remains proud of film

Actor Preity Zinta has addressed Batwara 1947's box office failure. The film was directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and also featured actors Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi, Ali Fazal and Karan Deol in key roles.

In Short

• Preity Zinta said she gave her full effort to Batwara 1947 and remained proud
• The period drama featured Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi and Ali Fazal
• Preity will next be seen in Vibe

Actor Preity Zinta has spoken about the box office failure of Batwara 1947, saying there are some parts of a film’s journey that an actor cannot control. The actor, who returned to acting after an eight-year break with the Sunny Deol film, addressed the period drama’s disappointing theatrical run and said she remains proud of the film.

In an interview with Mid-Day, Preity said, "I am very proud of the film, and it’s a very overwhelming experience. And as an actor, I am always managing expectations."

"Once I am working, I put in my 100 per cent. As I said earlier, I believe in karam (deed). You do your karam and then leave the rest to god. You can’t control what happens. So, you work as hard as you can on every film; I give my 1000 per cent and then leave the rest to God," she added.

Director Rajkumar Santoshi’s Batwara 1947 also features actors Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal and others in key roles. The film did not live up to expectations at the box office, and Preity said she had accepted that the outcome was beyond her control as long as she had given her full effort to the project.

Shabana Azmi also recently spoke about the film’s box office performance. While speaking to Zoom TV, she said, "Why can’t you see Sunny Deol as a Muslim? There were films like Coolie in which Amitabh Bachchan played Muslim characters with ease. He used to use 786 and it was completely accepted. Now, what should we understand from this, that such an environment is being created here in which such divisions are happening deliberately? I don’t understand."

"I am very surprised at the total box office disaster Batwara 1947 has been. I am surrounded by people who come and tell me that they loved the film and they loved the message. On the other hand, people did not go to the theatres and those who did, had confused reactions," she added.

Meanwhile, Preity will next be seen in Vibe. The film also features actors Kunal Kemmu, Sparsh Shrivastava, Vanshika Dhir, Yashpal Sharma and Dinesh Lal Yadav. It is set for a theatrical release on September 18 and will clash with Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Daayra.

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