MUMBAI, Oct 29: The job of an artist is to spark discussion with their work and that is what Bollywood star Emraan Hashmi hopes to do with his upcoming movie “Haq”, a courtroom drama inspired by the Shah Bano Begum case of 1985.
Directed by Suparn Varma, the film dramatises the events surrounding the landmark Mohd Ahmed Khan vs Shah Bano Begum case, as depicted in Jigna Vora’s book “Bano: Bharat Ki Beti”.
The legal battle started in 1978 when Shah Bano was divorced by her lawyer husband and reached the Supreme Court in 1985. It ended with a judgment by a five-judge Constitution bench of the apex court that ruled that Muslim women were also entitled to maintenance under the law.
The film features Yami Gautam as Shazia Bano and Hashmi as her husband, Lawyer Abbas Khan. Though the film narrates a story from the 1970s and 1980s, Hashmi said the issue is still quite relevant.
“‘Haq’ shows what happened and what is happening today. Ultimately, it’s up to the audience how and what they take from it. But conversation is great, arguments are great, any kind of change will only come from that,” Hashmi told PTI in an interview.
The actor said there are many bad divorces where women are denied their basic right to dignity.
“They are just left to fend for themselves and God forbid if she is not an independent woman, she is not working, the man washes his hands off her responsibility… To make things worse, sometimes the woman is left with the kids and the man denies her fair chance at any kind of maintenance beyond and after the divorce. So, these are problems that are ongoing,” he said.
Hashmi, who identifies as a feminist and advocate for women’s rights, said the film explores the ingrained biases of men in a deeply patriarchal society.
“I think there’s no doubt about it that we live in a patriarchal society. I’m a feminist and always pro-women’s rights. There are certain biases that men have in society and as someone, trying to facilitate a subject like this, it’s important for me to address those biases by playing these characters,” Hashmi said.
Shah Bano was 62 when she was divorced by her husband Mohammed Ahmed Khan through triple talaq. Khan refused to provide financial support of Rs 200.
She went to a district court which eventually awarded her a sum of Rs 20 per month, which was later increased to Rs 179 by the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Dissatisfied, Khan challenged the decision in the Supreme Court.
A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court upheld the maintenance amount granted by the High Court. It also dwelt on the need for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), a common set of laws on marriage, divorce and inheritance that would be applicable to all Indian citizens irrespective of religion, tribe or other local customs.
Asked if he believes that the film should start a discussion about the UCC, Hashmi said, “I think it should. If we don’t spark conversation, don’t spark some kind of deep thinking about something like this, about what society is constantly tucking under the carpet, unanswered questions, then we’re not on a job.”
The actor, known for his versatile performances in films such as “Gangster”, “Awarapan”, “Dirty Picture”, “Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai” and “Shanghai”, said he had to set aside his own belief system to portray a character like Abbas.
“I got to change my mindset and play someone who is a little more chauvinistic and has that mindset of oppression. But then that’s acting… I don’t know how people will see the character ultimately. When I play the character, I play him to understand him. I don’t play characters to judge them,” he said.
Produced by Junglee Pictures, in association with Insomnia Films and Baweja Studios, “Haq” will be released in theatres on November 7. (PTI)