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Pakistan inevitably came up as a topic of discussion as Bollywood actor Sunny Deol fielded questions from the Indian media during a promotional press conference on Sunday for his upcoming movie Batwara 1947. His response led to heated debate online.

The actor, accompanied by his son and co-star, Karan Deol, was asked by a journalist to weigh in on “Pakistan as a nation” and its “atmosphere”.

Deol didn’t give a direct answer, and instead quoted his late father, Dharmendra.

“We can’t talk about how [we] feel about it because both countries were once one. As my father used to say, ‘This [India] is my mother and that [Pakistan] is my maternal aunt.’ You all know that. We’re all connected, in one way or another,” he said.

Dharmendra, who passed away last November, was a vocal proponent of strengthening relations between India and Pakistan.

Declining to comment further on Pakistan, Deol highlighted his duty to tell stories as an actor without politicising his craft.

“I don’t wish to get into all that. We are actors. We are makers. We choose stories and make stories. We don’t want to take them in a political direction, nor do we.”

Despite not wanting to ‘politicise’ the matter, the former BJP politician, has been known for extremely political and hyper-patriotic films, such as Border and Gadar. His attempt to distance himself from politics and echo his father’s softer stance towards Pakistan was not received well online.

One X user criticised the actor for using “nationalistic jingoism” to fight elections in the past.

Others called him “opportunistic”.

Many others online slammed him for what they perceived to be his “support” for Pakistan.

While political relations between Pakistan and India have always been strained, the hostilities reached a crescendo in the wake of a four-day military conflict in May 2025. India also put into place digital restrictions on Pakistani entertainment content, including bans on YouTube channels and Instagram profiles of celebrities, even going as far as pulling songs and removing imagery from music streaming platforms, such as Spotify.

A heated debate on social media was, therefore, more or less expected as Batwara 1947 is set during the time of Partition. It tells the story of a Muslim family forced to flee to Pakistan following the violence caused by the Partition of British India. However, tensions continue — and escalate — after they discover a Hindu woman, played by Shabana Azmi, occupying the house they’ve been allotted in Lahore.

Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, Batwara 1947’s cast also includes Preity Zinta, Ali Fazal and Abhimanyu Singh. It’s set to be released on August 14.