The film does not shed any light on the role of communist parties and organizations in India in the fight against triple talaq and even against the so-called quashing of the Shah Bano verdict. The film ends with a text falsely claiming that after the Shah Bano decision, the then central government overturned it and only the BJP saved Muslim women after Modi by enacting the law.
It does not mention how the Supreme Court of India declared Triple Talaq to be invalid before the BJP passed a law criminalizing it. Muslim husbands are now the only men in India for whom desertion is a non-bailable offence.
What is not said here is that in 2001 the Supreme Court described a law passed by the Rajiv Gandhi government in the following words: “Although it may look ironic, the production [Muslim Women Act] designed to overturn the Shah Bano decision, in effect codifies the very reasoning contained thereinThis is not to say that the law has found a way to provide Muslim women with a means of support.
Now someone might turn around and fairly defend the charge of insidious bigotry with the shield of creative freedom. Fair enough. They have no ambition to create a world as complex, complete and layered as Paul Thomas Anderson’s recent One battle after another which is a battering ram on all sides of the political spectrum.
Our intention was to make a fair, decent film, they can argue. They can call it “balanced” as Emraan Hashmi did in an interview. Of course. Yami Gautam, who plays the title character, was also present Article 370 and Uri. Her husband Aditya Dhar has written and directed Uri, wrote and produced Article 370, wrote and produced Baramulla, which was described by critic Rahul Desai as the most creative cultural propaganda film he had seen. I don’t think he saw it Haq yet. Aditya Dhar has also produced, written and directed the upcoming Dhurandhar.
In an interview that Javed Akhtar gave to a news channel many years ago, he mentioned that he attended a conference where he said that there was a picture of Osama bin Laden on the wall. He asked the organizers why there is a photo of this terrorist? They responded by saying that no charges against bin Laden had been proven, how could someone be found guilty without a trial, etc. Long story short, Akhtar responded by saying it was because you believe him has committed terrorist acts that his photo hangs here. Otherwise there is nothing to hang.
The film begins by thanking Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the two Deputy Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, all of whom are known for preaching the message, “Islam is a great religion and must be studied.” It is also thanks to Navika Kumar, who is a tireless warrior for interfaith harmony. Constitutional scholar Amit Malviya also praised the film.
(The author is a lawyer and academic consultant based in Mumbai. This opinion and the views expressed are the author’s own. Quintus does not endorse and is not responsible for them.)
