Batwara 1947: Fans mistake Kanikka Kapur for Kiara Advani in new poster, ask if AI was used

The poster, unveiled on July 30, features Kanikka alongside Karan Deol and has sparked a flood of reactions, with many fans initially mistaking her for the Shershaah actor. Some even speculated that AI may have been used while designing the promotional artwork.

Fans mistake Kanikka Kapur for Kiara Advani

Karan Deol and Kanikka Kapur shared their character posters from Batwara 1947 on Instagram with the caption, “Watch #Batwara1947 in cinemas this Partition Day, 14th August.”

In the poster, Kanikka is seen wearing a floral salwar suit paired with a beige dupatta, minimal makeup and tousled hair. The look immediately caught fans’ attention, with many saying they had to take a second look before realising it wasn’t Kiara Advani.

The comments section was quickly flooded with reactions.

One user wrote, “I thought why Kiara name not in credits for a second.” Another commented, “Why did they forgot to mention Kiara?? 🙄🙄🫣.”

Several others suggested the resemblance could be the result of AI-generated poster editing. One comment read, “It’s an AI poster that’s why she looks like Kiara. Bloody how lazy has this industry become it’s so shameful.”

“Kiara Advani bana diya hai AI ne,” read another comment.

Another fan wrote, “Congrats @kanikkakapur, I happen to notice that the poster actually looks like Kiara Advani. Maybe you can bring this up to your management team.”

Interestingly, Kanikka Kapur herself appeared to take the comparisons in good humour. Replying to one fan who wrote, “Congratulations @kanikkakapur I really thought it was Kiara Advani on the poster!”, the actor responded with a laughing emoji, further fuelling the online chatter.

A look at Kanikka’s other photographs on Instagram, however, suggests she does not closely resemble Kiara in her everyday appearances, leading several users to believe the resemblance may be specific to the styling or post-production work used for the poster.

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Who is Kanikka Kapur?

Delhi-born Kanikka Kapur is set to make her Bollywood debut with Batwara 1947. Before entering films, she played Suman Tiwari in the television show Ek Duje Ke Vaaste 2 and later appeared in web projects like Dono, Modern Parivar and Murderbad.

Kanikka actively participated in theatre during her college years. She also built a successful modelling career after the age of 18, winning titles such as Miss Mood Indigo, Femina Style Diva North and Manappuram Miss Queen of India.

About Batwara 1947

Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and backed by Aamir Khan Productions, Batwara 1947 is scheduled to release in theatres on August 14, 2026. The film is based on Asghar Wajahat’s acclaimed 1989 play Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai.

Set against the backdrop of the Partition, the story follows a married couple, played by Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta, who are forced to migrate to Pakistan after Independence. They are allotted a sprawling haveli, only to discover that an elderly Hindu woman, played by Shabana Azmi, is still living there. As communal tensions escalate, Sunny’s character chooses to protect her despite mounting threats.

Batwara 1947 marks Sunny Deol’s reunion with director Rajkumar Santoshi after almost 30 years. The duo previously collaborated on critically acclaimed films such as Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak, with Sunny winning both his National Film Awards for performances in Rajkumar’s films.

The movie also marks Sunny’s first collaboration with Aamir Khan as a producer. The ensemble cast includes Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Ali Fazal, Karan Deol and Abhimanyu Singh. The music has been composed by A.R. Rahman, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.

The project was originally announced as Lahore 1947 before being retitled Batwara 1947 ahead of its release.