Just weeks before it was ready to hit the big screens, Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam’s courtroom drama ‘HAQ’ has found itself in the eye of a legal storm. The film which explores one of India’s most talked-about legal battles now faces an uncertain release date following a notice from Shah Bano’s family.
Siddiqua Begum, the daughter and legal heir of the late Shah Bano, has reportedly sent a legal notice to the makers of ‘HAQ’. The notice demands an “immediate restraint on the publication, screening, promotion, or release of the upcoming film.”
Siddiqua’s complaint claims that the movie depicts personal aspects of Shah Bano’s life without the family’s consent raising concerns about privacy and misrepresentation.
She has sent the notice not just to the film’s director, Suparn S Verma, but also to the producers Junglee Pictures and Baweja Studios, and even the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
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‘HAQ’ draws inspiration from the famous 1985 Supreme Court case ‘Mohd. Ahmed Khan vs Shah Bano Begum’. This is a landmark legal battle in India that sparked nationwide debates about women’s rights in reference to maintenance laws. Shah Bano was 62 at the time. She had filed a petition seeking maintenance from her divorced husband, Mohammed Ahmed Khan. He was a prominent lawyer. Their marriage, which began in 1932, had produced five children: three sons and two daughters.
The Supreme Court’s ruling in 1985 granted Shah Bano maintenance under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code recognising her right to financial support despite the divorce. However, the victory was short-lived. A year later, the Rajiv Gandhi government passed legislation that effectively overturned the Supreme Court verdict sparking further public discussion on the rights of Muslim women in India.
Directed by Suparn S Verma, ‘HAQ’ brings together a cast including Emraan Hashmi, Yami Gautam, Vartika Singh, Danish Husain, Sheeba Chadha, and Aseem Hattangady.