A thought-provoking journey through the complexities of Muslim women’s rights

Movie review: Haq 

Cast: Yami Gautam, Emran Hashmi

Director: Suparn Varma  

Rating: 7/10

Director Suparn Varma clearly subscribes to the school of thought that says cinema must also inform and educate in an entertaining way. He guides the main protagonists Shazia (Yami Gautam) and Abbas (Emran Hashmi) through a gamut of emotions, albeit it rather slow at times.

Starting out as an inseparable couple, the relationship deteriorates after three children until Abbas takes a second wife, as is permissible under Muslim law.

As the situation gets worse, Shazia leaves the marital home to go back to her parents and takes on a legal battle lasting years to force Abbas to pay maintenance for the children after he divorces her in a controversial Muslim process.

She perseveres in this, despite opposition from the Muslim leaders who stigmatise her and her family.

The film is based on the real-life case taken up by Shah Bano, who challenged the conflict between Muslim Personal Law and the Constitutional rights (hence the tile Haq, meaning rights) of Muslim women in India.

As the complex issues are unravelled in frequent court scenes, Varma ensures that quotations from the Qur'an, which are delivered in sometimes striking soliloquys by both lead characters are careful and accurate to avoid any offence. Abbas, a lawyer by profession, represents himself and Shazia, though she has no legal training, presents her case herself as well.

Yami, guided and supported by her character’s father to pursue the battle despite him being a religious leader himself, at times outshines Emran with her feisty, unconventional approach to the role.

In the end, the way in which the real-life case eventually led to changes in Indian law to change the status of Muslim women is mentioned in just a few slides to complete the story.

Despite good performances by the cast, Haq will only appeal to audiences that appreciate good filmmaking and have the patience to sit through it.

Fakir Hassen is a veteran Bollywood critic who has written three books on the subject.

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