In his final film Ikkis, legendary actor Dharmendra travelled across the border and added a touch of healing to the trauma of Partition. Over eight months after Ikkis, Sunny Deol is seen going to Pakistan in his upcoming historical-drama, Batwara 1947, invoking a similar idea of love and brotherhood.Interestingly, Dharmendra was present when the film was narrated to Sunny by director Rajkumar Santoshi. “He got emotional upon hearing it,” recalls Preity Zinta, who plays a pivotal role in the film. Seated beside her, Sunny’s eyes are outlined with tears as he tells The Hindu that Dharmendra had seen a version of the film before his death in November last year. “Papa loved it,” Sunny says.Dharmendra was born in undivided India in 1935 and along with his father, carried stories of Partition which Sunny recalls hearing while growing up. “My grandfather, uncle and aunt would tell us stories from the time, which stayed with me and I would keep wondering about the event. So, when Raj narrated Batwara 1947 to me, I related it to the real-life accounts from my family,” says Sunny as he reflects on Partition and calls it “heartbreaking”. “It shouldn’t have happened; so many innocents died.”Santoshi adds, “During Partition, humans touched greater heights with all the courage shown and sacrifices laid. But at the same time, humans also got involved in disgusting acts of violence on each other. Both things were seen during the time. That’s what we have tried to portray in Batwara 1947 as well.”