In two months, Hindi cinema has seen the release of two big films set during the Partition of India. Mind you, I use the term Partition, not Independence, because these two films make that distinction clearly. Both Main Vaapas Aaunga and Batwara 1947 talk about the human cost of the Partition of India and Pakistan, but without talking about the hatred or vitriol. These are films about love, about hope, and most importantly, about learning from the past. Two films may not signify a trend, but 2026 has shown that Bollywood can speak sensitively about something as painful as the Partition.
Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga is a love story that transcends time and borders. Set in 1947, it is about Keenu (Vedang Raina) and Jiya (Sharvari) living on, keeping the promise to each other in their hearts. “This is a story of two people but also the story of a country,” the filmmaker tells us. Imtiaz says he understood the challenge of making a soft love story set during the biggest humanitarian tragedy in history. But he found the middle ground by ‘focusing on Jiya and Keenu’. He explains, “It is their personal story and everything else that is happening is kind of out of focus.”
Talking about taking an objective approach to telling a story from that era, director Santoshi says, “Partition ke time pe yeh dekha gaya hai insaan ne bulandiyan bhi touch ki hai, great courage dikhaya hai, great sacrifices bhi diye hain, aur utne ghinaune harkat bhi insaan ne kiye hain. Yeh donon cheez Partition mein dekhi gayi hain. Iss film mein bhi aise emotions hain. (It has been observed that during the Partition, humanity scaled great heights—demonstrating immense courage and making profound sacrifices—yet also committed truly heinous acts. Both these facets were witnessed during the Partition. This film captures those very emotions).”
The challenge to that is not reducing the political upheaval and the human tragedy to something subservient to an individual’s ‘selfish’ pain. But Imtiaz says a balance has to be sought. “It's not as though that we are pretending that it is not happening. We are not trying to say that what is happening is pleasant at all. We fully respect and acknowledge the authenticity of the incidents that occurred in 1947. However, the story is about a young boy and a young girl who are deeply aggrieved by the events of Partition for a very personal reason. They are not so mature or large-hearted as to say that the division of the country is my problem. For them, the problem is the divide between you and me. That's what matters to people personally,” says the filmmaker.
Batwara 1947 releases in theatres today, August 14. Main Vaapas Aaunga is currently streaming on Netflix, having completed its theatrical run successfully.
