Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam’s upcoming courtroom drama ‘HAQ’ has landed in legal trouble just weeks before its release.
Siddiqua Begum, the daughter and legal heir of Shah Bano, has served a legal notice to the makers “for immediate restraint on the publication, screening, promotion, or release of the upcoming film.”
According to the notice, the complaint filed by Siddiqua Begum alleges the “unauthorised depiction of the personal life of the late Shah Bano Begum without the consent of her legal heirs”.
The notice has been sent to the film’s director, Suparn Verma, producers Junglee Pictures and Baweja Studios, and also to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The film ‘HAQ’ is said to be based on the 1985 Supreme Court case Mohd. Ahmed Khan vs Shah Bano Begum, one of India’s landmark cases concerning women’s rights and maintenance laws.
The Mohd. Ahmed Khan vs Shah Bano Begum case, also known as the Shah Bano maintenance case, is considered a legal milestone in the battle for the protection of the rights of Muslim women in India. In 1978, Shah Bano (62) filed a petition in the Indore court seeking maintenance from her divorced husband, Mohammed Ahmed Khan, an affluent and well-known lawyer.
The two had married in 1932 and had five children: three sons and two daughters.
In 1985, the Supreme Court ruled that Shah Bano was entitled to maintenance under Section 125. However, a year later, the Rajiv Gandhi government introduced legislation to nullify the court verdict.
Directed by Suparn S. Verma, ‘HAQ’ also features Vartika Singh, Danish Husain, Sheeba Chadha, and Aseem Hattangady in prominent roles.
Made under the banner of Junglee Pictures, the film is produced by Vineet Jain, Vishal Gurnani, Juhi Parekh Mehta, and Harman Baweja. It is slated for a November 7 release.
