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By:

Bharati Dubey

17 May 2026 at 7:08:10 am

Why Sunny Deol’s ‘Batwara 1947’ failed to impress

Mumbai: The failure of ‘Batwara 1947’ has emerged as one of those box-office mysteries that is difficult to explain purely through the usual parameters of filmmaking. The film brought back the celebrated combination of Sunny Deol and director Rajkumar Santoshi after nearly three decades, carried a powerful Partition backdrop and featured acclaimed performers. Yet, despite the pedigree, the film struggled to attract audiences to theatres. For trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the failure was...

Why Sunny Deol’s ‘Batwara 1947’ failed to impress

Mumbai: The failure of ‘Batwara 1947’ has emerged as one of those box-office mysteries that is difficult to explain purely through the usual parameters of filmmaking. The film brought back the celebrated combination of Sunny Deol and director Rajkumar Santoshi after nearly three decades, carried a powerful Partition backdrop and featured acclaimed performers. Yet, despite the pedigree, the film struggled to attract audiences to theatres. For trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the failure was particularly difficult to understand. He felt Batwara 1947 was a well-made film, praised Santoshi’s direction, appreciated the performances and singled out the emotional scenes between Shabana Azmi and Sunny Deol. “What has really surprised me is why this film has not worked. In my opinion, it was a well-made film,” Adarsh observed. He particularly praised the emotions captured between Azmi and Deol, calling the performances of a very high order and Santoshi’s direction top-notch. He also felt the finale was gripping. Yet the question remained: if the film worked on these creative levels, why did audiences stay away? One explanation that surfaced repeatedly in trade circles was Sunny Deol’s image. Sunny’s Image For more than two decades, Sunny Deol has become almost synonymous with a particular kind of India-Pakistan narrative. His most iconic performances have often placed him in situations involving patriotism, national identity, Pakistan, borders and confrontation. Gadar: Ek Prem Katha transformed that association into a phenomenon. More than two decades later, Gadar 2 revived the same persona and became a massive theatrical success. Even Jaat continued to reinforce the image of Sunny Deol as the larger-than-life action hero who speaks loudly, fights harder and takes on overwhelming odds. That image is undoubtedly one of Sunny’s biggest strengths. But with Batwara, it may also have become a liability. The problem was not necessarily Sunny’s performance. In fact, Adarsh specifically rejected the argument that Deol was completely mellow in the film. According to him, the actor was restrained only up to a point and did eventually deliver the kind of action audiences associate with him. “I don’t feel that Sunny was mellow over here,” Adarsh explained. “He was mellow only up to a point, and later, he did indulge in action.” His larger point was that the film itself deserved a better response. “I just fail to understand... Somewhere down the line, people had decided not to watch the film for reasons known best to them.” That observation may actually hold the key to the film’s failure. Audience’s Rejection A theatrical film is judged long before the audience reaches the climax. The poster, trailer, casting, subject, star image and promotional material collectively create an expectation. With Batwara, the audience saw Sunny Deol and a Partition-related story and may have immediately associated it with Gadar and Gadar 2. But Batwara was not simply another Sunny Deol action vehicle. That distinction may have been difficult to communicate. The Sunny Deol of Gadar is a fantasy figure—an ordinary man transformed into an unstoppable force by love, patriotism and rage. His physicality, dialogue delivery and explosive action are central to the experience. A Partition drama built around human suffering, relationships and emotional conflict demands a different response from the audience. Consequently, the film faced an unusual problem: the actor’s strongest established image may have overshadowed what the film was actually trying to say. Wrong Casting Exhibitor Sanjay Ghai offered an even more blunt assessment of the problem. According to him, the issue was not necessarily the quality of the film but the casting. “Everyone knew beforehand about Batwara that the casting has gone wrong,” he said, adding that a different hero was needed. That is an important distinction. Ghai was effectively arguing that Sunny Deol may not have been the ideal commercial casting choice for this particular story, regardless of how well he performed in it. From an exhibitor’s perspective, this matters enormously. A film can be well made and still fail if the casting does not generate sufficient curiosity. And Batwara faced another problem: the Partition subject itself was no longer fresh. Tired Audience There is an undeniable familiarity surrounding Hindi cinema’s treatment of Partition and India-Pakistan relations. For years, filmmakers have returned to the same historical wound from different perspectives. Some films have focused on families separated by the border, some on communal violence, some on patriotism and others on the continuing emotional relationship between India and Pakistan. Then came the enormous success of Gadar and Gadar 2, which further cemented Sunny Deol’s association with the subject. Sanjay Ghai’s comparison with Border is therefore significant. He pointed out that Border had worked despite dealing with a similar broad territory. The difference, from a trade perspective, is that Border offered a particular combination of scale, patriotism, ensemble casting, music, spectacle and war drama that created a clear theatrical identity. Batwara may not have had an equally irresistible proposition. The audience had already seen Partition stories. They had already seen Sunny Deol in India-Pakistan conflicts. They had already seen the actor deliver high-octane patriotic drama.

Growing Risks Of Cyber Warfare

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

In a shocking series of events, multiple coordinated explosions have rocked Lebanon and parts of Syria, killing dozens of people and injuring thousands. The blasts occurred after explosive devices, hidden inside pagers and other radio communication devices, were detonated. The targeted individuals were primarily members of Hezbollah, with the explosions taking place in densely populated areas, resulting in widespread injuries to civilians, including children.

The devices, mainly pagers, walkie-talkies, and radios, had been in the possession of Hezbollah operatives, who had acquired them months prior, under the assumption they were secure. However, Hezbollah has accused Israel’s intelligence agency, Shin Bet, of tampering with the devices during transit.

According to security experts, Israel’s elite secret cyber warfare unit was behind the attack. This unit, known for its global cyber operations, is also linked to the creation of the STUXnet malware, which was responsible for the failure of Iran’s nuclear power plant. The pagers were rigged with explosive materials in place of a battery, and a relay switch was installed, allowing the explosions to be triggered remotely in a synchronized manner. The result was devastating injuries to the eyes, face, hands, and legs of those carrying the devices.

The incident occurred in Hezbollah-stronghold areas, including the Dahieh suburb of Beirut, southern Lebanon, and parts of the Beqaa Valley, with some explosions also reported across the border in Syria. The blasts overwhelmed hospitals, as hundreds of victims sought medical help for injuries ranging from severe burns to shattered limbs. The intensity of the explosions, far beyond that of ordinary battery malfunctions, indicates a highly sophisticated sabotage operation.

These explosions have not only deepened the crisis in Lebanon but have also raised critical questions about supply chain security, intelligence tactics, and the legality of using booby-trapped electronics in conflict zones.


What Are Pagers, and Why Are They Still Preferred?

Despite being old-school tele communication technology, pagers or beepers are still used in many countries, particularly in critical sectors and organizations. Pagers primarily facilitate one-way communication, pager uses higher frequencies than car radios i.e. 400 MHz band frequency. It also used a very basic type of VHF spectrum. These devices operate in restricted areas to transfer messages, alerts, and information. These devices are considered more secure and harder to trace or track compared to mobile phones, as they only receive messages, similar to a car radio that receives signals without revealing the listener’s identity or location. Additionally, pagers lack features like Bluetooth or GPS, making them more difficult to hack or compromise.

Among their many advantages, pagers are known for their long battery life and durability, making them ideal for continuous use in specific industries. There are an estimated two million active pager users worldwide. Hezbollah began using pagers after Israel successfully assassinated a high-ranking Hezbollah target by hacking his cellphone and precisely targeting him with a missile. Since then, many Hezbollah members have switched to more primitive communication devices, like pagers, to avoid being tracked via the internet.


Are Mobile Phones and Smartphones Similarly Vulnerable?

American and European security agencies suggest that, theoretically, it is possible to alter mobile phones and other smart devices to turn them into explosive devices. However, practically, it is more difficult due to the advanced security systems in modern smartphones. A hacked smartphone may exhibit various signs, such as abnormal temperature changes, slower system performance, unexpected reboots, odd sounds during calls, hung applications, or irrelevant messages and pop-ups, all of which could indicate tampering. These security systems make it more challenging to modify smartphones in the same manner as simpler devices like pagers.


New Security Challenges

The Hezbollah pager explosion serves as a wake-up call for sectors involving critical infrastructure and aviation. In an era where smartphones are network-connected and can be charged wirelessly, the possibility of tampering with batteries or embedding explosives, like HMX, PETN and other type of plastic explosives pose significant risks. During flights, even a minor explosion could result in catastrophic consequences. On the ground, the threat extends to damaging nearby aircraft, equipment, and infrastructure. Airport security may soon impose stricter regulations, potentially banning pagers, walkie-talkies, and radios, much like power banks, which are now restricted on flights. In the future, mobile phones may only be allowed in switched-off modes, placed in lithium-safe bags during flights. Suspicious devices could be handled separately in Faraday-sheet bags to block any network or signal connections.

This incident highlights the growing risks of cyber warfare and the dangers posed by everyday communication devices being exploited for sabotage. It is an alarming call for a nation’s security as the treat of such critical infrastructure being handled by terrorist organisations can compromise the use of day-to-day electronics for malicious activities. As technology advances, so must the protocols for ensuring public safety, particularly in high-risk environments where even the smallest vulnerability could lead to devastating consequences.

(The writer is an eminent cyber and explosives forensic expert. Views personal.)

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