Indore: Siddiqua Begum Khan, the daughter of the famous Shah Bano Begum, has filed a petition against the upcoming film “Haq,” claiming it unauthorisedly portrays her mother’s private story without the family’s consent.
As a result, with just three days remaining until its release on November 7th, the Yami Gautam Dhar and Emraan Hashmi starrer “Haq” faces legal obstacles at the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Directed by Suparn S. Varma and produced by Junglee Pictures and Baweja Studios, “Haq” dramatises the landmark 1985 Supreme Court case of “Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum.”
This pivotal court ruling established that a divorced Muslim woman is entitled to financial support from her ex-husband for living expenses under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
In the film, Yami Gautam portrays Shazia Bano, a character inspired by Shah Bano, who fights in court against her husband Abbas, played by Emraan Hashmi.
The story is based on the book “Bano: Bharat Ki Beti” by Jigna Vora.
During a court hearing at the Indore Bench, lawyer Tousif Warsi represented Siddiqua.
He said, “This movie is not just inspired—it’s like a full copy of Shah Bano’s private struggles. The teasers make her look bad and turn real suffering into made-up stories. We daughters never gave permission. The CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) approved it without checking properly!”
He showed an earlier legal notice sent to the movie makers and the CBFC.
He criticised the trailers for inventing fake events while using her mother’s real name and life. The producers replied by pointing to a disclaimer in the film.
They said ‘Haq’ is “made-up fiction” based on public court records—no real biography, so no permission is required. However, CBFC lawyers added, “Anything in public records can be used freely; it’s just inspired, not harming anyone.”
Justice Verma commented, “If she has struggled, would it not be credit for her why derogation. It can be interpreted…as a person fighting for her rights,” the court orally said. However, the court observed that the disclaimer was not in the court files yet, so the case was postponed.
The bench further asked them (defendants) to produce the disclaimer tomorrow; the hearing will continue on Tuesday.
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Photo: PR source/IANS file
–IANS
