Honey Trehan slams industry trends: Muslim stars cast only as Hindu leads, minority stories altered

Why can’t Muslim stars play Muslim protagonists? Filmmaker Honey Trehan isn’t holding back. He recently opened up about a growing climate of fear in Hindi cinema. In a candid chat with ‘Screen’, he questioned why Muslim A-list actors continue to headline films but are rarely allowed to play Muslim characters, especially in big-budget projects.

According to him, real-life minority characters are often rewritten to fit a more “acceptable” story.

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“I think it has changed a lot,” Trehan said. “There’s a loss of involvement. Nowadays, you can have Muslim stars, but the protagonist has to be Hindu. I don’t understand why that’s the case.”

Also Read: After 120 cuts, Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Punjab 95’ gets postponed

True stories turned “safe”

Trehan shared an example from his personal experience. He worked on a film based on a true-life Muslim hero. But because it’s a big-budget project with an A-list actor, the character was changed to Hindu.

“Somewhere there’s a fear that people in power don’t want a real-life hero to come from a minority; be it Sikh, Muslim, or Christian. I’m not saying that’s what they want, but that’s how it feels when you look at the bigger picture.”

He went on to say that bold films like ‘Udta Punjab’ or ‘Haider’ couldn’t be made in today’s climate. His own film, ‘Punjab 95’, has been stuck with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for months.

Meanwhile, films like ‘The Kashmir Files’ (2022), ‘The Kerala Story’ (2023), ‘Emergency’ (2025), ‘The Bengal Files’ (2025), and ‘The Sabarmati Report’ (2024) not only released smoothly but also got tax-free status and applause in Parliament. Trehan pointedly remarked, “Had I shown Muslims as villains, my film would have also received a standing ovation in Parliament.”

Honey Trehan on the work front

Trehan’s most recent project is ‘Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders’, a sequel to the 2020 hit. The film stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Chitrangada Singh, with Deepti Naval, Sanjay Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor, Radhika Apte, and Revathi in pivotal roles.

Fans can stream it on Netflix.