The Madhya Pradesh High Court has reserved its order on a plea by Shah Bano’s daughter seeking a stay on the release of Haq, a film inspired by the 1985 landmark case. The family alleges the movie distorts facts and was made without their consent.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court in Indore on Tuesday heard a petition filed by Siddiqua Begum Khan, the daughter of the late Shah Bano Begum, seeking to stop the release of the upcoming Hindi film Haq.
The movie, starring Yami Gautam Dhar and Emraan Hashmi, is scheduled to release in theatres on November 7, 2025.
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However, the film has now run into legal trouble after Shah Bano’s family approached the court, alleging that it misrepresents her life and has been made without the family’s consent. The High Court has reserved its order after the hearing.
Background
Siddiqua Begum, daughter of the woman behind the historic Shah Bano case of the 1980s, claimed in her petition that the film wrongly portrays incidents from her late mother’s private life.
The plea states that the makers of Haq have not obtained the permission of Shah Bano’s family before using her story, name, or personal details, which violates their right to privacy.
Her lawyer, Tauseef Warsi, told ANI that the filmmakers never contacted the family before making the movie.
He said,
“This film is based on the landmark case of M.A. Khan vs Shah Bano Begum. For the first time in Indian history, a Muslim woman fought for maintenance and won the case… It is mandatory to obtain someone’s consent before using their personal life, name, as this falls under the right to privacy.”
The case of Shah Bano remains one of the most significant legal battles in India’s history, as it led to a major debate over women’s rights and the interpretation of personal laws under the Indian Constitution.
Her fight for maintenance against her husband went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in her favour in 1985, making the case a landmark judgment for women’s rights in India.
Meanwhile, Shah Bano’s grandson, Jubair Ahmad Khan, has also objected to the film, saying that it distorts facts about their family and his grandmother’s case. He mentioned that the family only learned about the movie after the teaser was released.
According to him,
“When the teaser was released, we learned that a movie had been made about my grandmother. A lot of facts in the teaser are distorted. It is our private matter that has been given a commercial angle. They should have taken our permission. The common people will watch the movie and think it shows true events.”
In response, the film’s producers have defended their work, saying that they have taken creative liberties to dramatise the story and that Haq is not a factual representation of events.
The lawyer representing the producer, Harman Baweja, Ajay Bagadiya, said the film was inspired by both the Supreme Court judgment and a book on Shah Bano’s life.
He explained,
“The disclaimer of the movie clearly says that this movie is inspired by two things: the 1985 Supreme Court judgement in favour of Shah Bano and a book titled ‘Bano, Bharat ki Beti’. It is a fictional depiction, and it is not necessary that everything is presented factually.”
Directed by Supran S Verma, Haq is said to focus on women’s rights and maintenance laws in India. The movie narrates the story of Shah Bano, who filed a case in the Indore court seeking maintenance from her divorced husband, Mohammed Ahmed Khan, an affluent and respected lawyer.
The couple married in 1932 and had five children before their separation.
The film stars Yami Gautam Dhar and Emraan Hashmi as the estranged couple, along with Vartika Singh, Danish Husain, Sheeba Chadha, and Aseem Hattangady in important roles.
The makers have stated that the film’s intention is to highlight the courage of a woman who fought for justice, but the legal petition now puts the release in uncertainty until the High Court delivers its decision.
The court’s order, once released, will decide whether the film Haq can be screened as scheduled or if its release will be halted pending further directions.
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