‘I felt deeply humiliated’: Shabana Azmi on shooting difficult Batwara 1947 scene | Watch
New Delhi: At the trailer launch of ‘s film, , veteran actress opened up about shooting an emotionally charged scene in the film, which was particularly difficult for her.
She revealed that shooting that particular sequence left her feeling “deeply humiliated” and “stripped of her dignity”, even after she had spent five decades in the industry.
What’s in the Batwara 1947 scene?
Shabana Azmi revealed that in one scene, whose glimpse can also be seen in the trailer, her character is being dragged by the antagonist using a dupatta, and her kurta is torn off.
Referring to the scene, she said, “There is one scene in this film where, personally, as a human being, I felt deeply humiliated and completely stripped of my dignity. You see a small glimpse of it in the trailer, where the villain drags me and tears my kurta. At that moment, I don’t think I have ever felt so vulnerable and so exposed as I did.”
In the scene, it further shows that Sunny Deol’s character comes to her aid and wraps her in a dupatta.
She added, “And believe me, when Sunny came and put that dupatta over me, in that moment it wasn’t just my character – he became my son, my protector. I hugged him with every iota of my being and thought, ‘Thank God he’s here to save me’”, she said.
She concluded by saying, “If, as an actor with 50 years of experience, I could feel that moment so truthfully because of my co-actor, then it’s bound to translate onto the screen. So I just want to say, thank you, Sunny, for that.”
About Batwara 1947
Set against the backdrop of the Partition of India, the film follows the story of an elderly Hindu woman who refuses to leave her home in Pakistan. It is based on Asghar Wajahat’s 1989 play ‘Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai’ ((The one who hasn’t experienced Lahore, hasn’t lived yet).
It stars Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal, and Abhimanyu Singh in key roles. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on August 14, 2026.