Bollywood’s Emraan Hashmi Defends ‘Haq’: A Legal Drama Rooted in Shah Bano Saga That Challenges Stereotypes Without Blame
Emraan Hashmi has come forward to address concerns surrounding his latest project, Haq, emphasizing that the film handles its subject with nuance and respect for the Muslim community it portrays.
In Haq, a courtroom thriller drawing from the landmark Shah Bano case, Hashmi takes on a fresh role alongside Yami Gautam, who embodies a figure modeled after the real-life Shah Bano. The 1985 Supreme Court decision in that case marked a pivotal moment for Muslim women’s rights in India, granting maintenance to the divorced petitioner under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code—only for the Rajiv Gandhi administration to overturn it through new legislation the following year. The story traces back to 1978, when 62-year-old Shah Bano sought financial support from her husband of over four decades, Mohammed Ahmed Khan, a prominent lawyer with whom she had raised five children.
The trailer’s release has sparked a mix of acclaim and backlash, with some viewers accusing the movie of unfairly targeting Muslims. During a recent conversation with ANI, Hashmi refuted these claims, insisting the narrative avoids finger-pointing or bias.
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“I approached the script purely as an artist at first,” Hashmi explained. “But this was the first time in my career that I needed to consider the sensitivities tied to my own community. I examined it closely, and what struck me was its even-handed perspective. We’re not accusing any group or rendering judgments here.”
He further clarified that the film steers clear of disparaging any community. “People might interpret it differently, but as a liberal Muslim, I found nothing objectionable in its stance,” he said. “If it crossed into vilifying anyone, I wouldn’t have signed on. To illustrate my own worldview: I married Parveen, who’s Hindu. My family celebrates both puja and namaaz for my son. That’s the secular environment I grew up in. Viewers bring their own backgrounds, beliefs, and surroundings to a film—that’s inevitable.”
Directed by Suparn S. Varma, Haq also stars Vartika Singh, Danish Husain, Sheeba Chadha, and Aseem Hattangady. Backed by producers Vineet Jain, Vishal Gurnani, Juhi Parekh Mehta, and Harman Baweja, the film arrives in theaters on November 7, inviting audiences to engage with a chapter of history that continues to resonate.