Real Life Story Of A Gritty Woman Is Punchy, Dramatic
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Yami Gautam, Vartika Singh, Aparna Goshal, Piloo Vidhyarthi, Smriti Mishra, Sheeba Chaddha, Aseem Hathangady and Danish Husain
Direction: Suparn Varma
The Shah Bano verdict in 1985 brought national attention to two issues: gender and minority rights. The issue of the alleged conflict between Sharia and our most important scroll required a judicial explanation. It has become historically paradoxical. This makes screenwriter Reshu Nath’s task even more critical and admirable. The political-social drama of 1985 had a great impact on policies. Today, with some relief from the urgency of events, the drama surrounding the war may have diminished.
So is trauma. So is the apparent conflict between two sources of law. To quote ‘Shah Bano’, the apex court rightly said: “The moral edict of law and morality cannot be confused with religion”.
The plot of the story is about the marriage of lawyer Abbas Khan (Emraan Hashmi) and Shazia Banu (Yami Gautham); It’s a beautiful marriage – despite the usual wear and tear – until Abbas marries Saria (Vartika Singh) with his mother’s (Aparna Goshal) approval. Advertising pieces that have been worked on become unrepairable in a short time. Banu leaves her matrimonial home and returns to her family (Piloo Vidhyarthi and Danish Husain). He is pushed into litigation due to circumstances. Even the miserable trickle of care for children stops.
The personal conflict turns into a major conflict between personal law and constitutional guarantees. A decade-long war is prolonging itself. The process that started in the court of peace is slowly moving towards the higher court.
According to the hero, “fighting is not a choice.” He makes a brief preface denouncing that, at a fundamental level, this is simply a fight for basic rights. Because the lower court’s voice is a stereotype of alternative solutions, it bears the brunt of the bias that comes with the familiar stereotypes of a woman being called an infidel and defying Sharia law. Those trapped in pockets of power feel threatened and join Abbas Khan in the larger battery.
Yes, there are stereotypes. There are a few telling accusations. What is a rose doing in Abbas Khan’s palace? I hope it’s a freak, unintended accident. In the context of the alimony debate, it is worth remembering that the supreme court critically assessed the orthodox’s position that dowry was “sufficient to meet the needs of women” and observed that “this is a highly illogical view of both law and life.”
The script remains largely faithful to the basics, leaving little room for unnecessary idioms. Still, there’s enough impact and drama.
Most of the performances, especially Aparna Ghoshal as Khan’s mother, Piloo Vidyarthi as Banu’s mother, Danish Husain and Smriti Mishra as Banu’s supportive father who shares half of the trauma, are all genuine and natural. Debutant Vartika Singh is very strict as the second wife. He gives up many opportunities to make a lasting impact. Emraan Hashmi shows this once again. He is more than a reliable actor when given the opportunity. Yami Gautam in the lead role in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is adequate at best; he simply lacks dignity. Has the casting director heard of anyone named Tabu or Shefali Shah? Every artistic filmmaker knows that both will influence the film, just like Shah Bano did to our canon.
Unfortunately systemic interference makes the film a non-starter. Designed on the premise of conflict between traditional personal law and the vicissitudes of fate, culture, and economy, the law-life matrix is woven with necessary drama, compelling fate, and clearly expressed faith. ‘Right’ is the window that answers some very important questions in the context of using religion as an intelligent fig leaf.
