15 August,2026 09:10 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Batwara 1947. Pic via District
Sunny Deol's Batwara 1947 hit the screens on August 14, 2026, ahead of the Independence Day weekend. The film has opened to a lukewarm response, trailing behind Emraan Hashmi's Awarapan 2 at the box office. Ahead of the film's release, Aamir Khan Productions, which is backing the film, had moved the Madras High Court, seeking to protect the film from piracy and unauthorised online and cable distribution of the film.
According to Bar and Bench, the Madras High Court, on August 14, granted an interim injunction to the production house to discourage the unauthorised online and cable distribution of Batwara 1947. Justice K Surender, in the court's order, directed internet service providers to block websites that host pirated copies of the film. The injunction will remain active until September 11, when the matter is expected to be heard next.
As per the report, the Madras High Court granted an ad interim injunction restraining the infringement of the film, stating that all websites or web pages as well as future websites, that violate the rules would be blocked. The Court, while granting the interim injunction, said, "In matters of this nature, it is likely that irreversible injury will occur, unless unlawful broadcast is prevented."
Releasing or displaying the film on CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, VCD, cable TV, direct-to-home services, internet services multimedia messaging services, pen drives, internet services, multimedia messaging services, pen drives, hard drives, tapes, DAS, satellite Conditional Access Systems or in any other medium without proper authorisation would result in violate/infringe the copyrighted cinematographic film as per the court's order.
Prior to this, the Madras High Court had also restrained unlawful broadcasting of the film The Kerala Story 2.
Set against the backdrop of Partition, Batwara 1947 is inspired by the Urdu play titled Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya O Jamyai Nai. The movie features Sunny Deol with Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol and Kanikka Kapur. Helmed by Rajkumar Santoshi, it is produced by Aamir Khan Productions.
The film follows a Muslim family that moves into a mansion in Pakistan, owned by a Hindu family before the Partition. However, the family's matriarch refuses to leave her ancestral property. Mid-day's Batwara 1947 review rates the film with 2 stars.
