Indore, 3 Nov

The release of Emraan Hashmi’s upcoming film ‘HAQ’ has run into legal trouble after Shah Bano’s daughter, Siddiqua Begum, filed a petition in the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking a stay on its 7 November release.

Siddiqua’s lawyer, Tauseef Warsi, said the filmmakers did not obtain consent from Shah Bano’s family before using her name or depicting her life on screen. “It is mandatory to obtain consent before using someone’s personal life or name as this falls under the right to privacy,” Warsi told ANI. He added that Siddiqua, the late Shah Bano’s biological daughter, learned about the film only after its teaser was released, prompting the petition.

Earlier, Siddiqua had also issued a legal notice to the makers, demanding an immediate halt to the “publication, screening, promotion or release” of the film. The notice alleged the unauthorised depiction of Shah Bano’s personal life without the consent of her legal heirs and was sent to director Suparn S Varma, producers Junglee Pictures and Baweja Studios, as well as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

‘HAQ’ is reportedly based on the landmark 1985 Supreme Court judgement in Mohd Ahmed Khan vs Shah Bano Begum, which established a Muslim woman’s right to maintenance under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Shah Bano, who filed the case in 1978 at the age of 62, won the verdict, but the ruling was later nullified by the Rajiv Gandhi government through subsequent legislation.

Directed by Suparn S Varma, ‘HAQ’ also stars Vartika Singh, Danish Husain, Sheeba Chadha and Aseem Hattangady, and is produced by Junglee Pictures in association with Baweja Studios.