Shah Bano’s daughter approaches court to block film ‘Haq’ before release
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The film ‘Haq’ is now stuck in a legal dispute at the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The movie is based on the 1985 case ‘Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum’. The Supreme Court ruled then that a divorced Muslim woman can get maintenance under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The movie is set to release on 7 November.
But Siddiqua Begum Khan, daughter of Shah Bano Begum, wants it stopped. She says her mother’s story was used without approval.
The film stars Yami Gautam Dhar and Emraan Hashmi. It is directed by Suparn S Varma. It is produced by Junglee Pictures and Baweja Studios.
In the film, Yami Gautam plays Shazia Bano. Her character is based on Shah Bano. Emraan Hashmi plays Abbas, who fights against her in court. The story is based on the book ‘Bano: Bharat Ki Beti’ written by Jigna Vora.
Siddiqua’s lawyer, Tousif Warsi, told Justice Pranay Verma at the Indore Bench that the film copied details from Shah Bano’s real life.
He said that the movie was not just inspired but was like a complete copy of Shah Bano’s personal struggles, and that the teasers portrayed her negatively and turned real suffering into fictional stories. He added that the daughters had never given permission, and claimed that the CBFC had approved the film without proper scrutiny. He also showed an earlier notice that had been sent to the producers and to the CBFC.
He said the trailers invent false incidents while keeping her mother’s identity and facts.
The producers pointed to the film’s disclaimer. They said it is “made-up fiction” based on public court records. CBFC lawyers said, “Anything in public records can be used freely; it’s just inspired, not harming anyone.”
Justice Verma orally said, “If she has struggled, would it not be credit for her, why derogation. It can be interpreted…as a person fighting for her rights.” But the court noted that the disclaimer had not yet been submitted. The matter is adjourned. The court asked for the disclaimer to be produced tomorrow. The hearing will continue on Tuesday.