Shah Bano Heir Seeks Stay On HAQ Release

Siddiqua Begum Khan, daughter and legal heir of Shah Bano Begum, has filed a petition at the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking a stay on the film HAQ's scheduled November 7 release, alleging it misrepresents her late mother and was made without the family's consent. HAQ, directed by Suparn S Varma and starring Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam Dhar, is billed as inspired by the 1985 Supreme Court case Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum and its trailer has sparked online debate over its portrayal of the Muslim community and Sharia law. Siddiqua's lawyers, led by Tousif/Tauseef Warsi, have sent legal notices to the director, producers including Junglee Pictures and Baweja Studios, and the Central Board of Film Certification, alleging unauthorised depiction, violations of privacy/publicity rights, defamation and that the film offends community sentiments. The Indore bench has begun hearings and listed further dates; the filmmakers are defending the project and are represented by counsel, while the producers have largely not publicly responded. The legal challenge could delay or block the film's scheduled release.