Haq review: Yami Gautam Dhar anchors a measured legal drama on women’s rights

Post by : Mina Rahman

The most affecting moment in Haq arrives through a voiceover by Yami Gautam Dhar’s Shazia Bano, who asks, “Biwi ka asli matlab kya hai?” That simple question reverberates across the film, inviting viewers to rethink ordinary terms that carry deep legal and social consequences.

Directed by Suparn Varma, Haq interrogates the tensions between secular statutes and personal law while showcasing committed performances, particularly from Yami Gautam Dhar. Drawing on the legacy of the Shah Bano case, the film engages with issues such as triple talaq and the broader pursuit of justice.

Plot Overview

The narrative centres on Shazia (Yami Gautam Dhar), a modest, largely uneducated woman married to Abbas Khan (Emraan Hashmi), who works as a distinguished lawyer. The early phase of their marriage is warm, but strain sets in as obligations increase and intimacy frays. The dynamic shifts dramatically when Abbas takes a second wife, leaving Shazia devastated. Pressured by her mother-in-law to “adjust,” Shazia departs with her children. Although Abbas initially pays maintenance, he soon stops and later pronounces triple talaq, precipitating Shazia’s legal fight for recognition and rights.

Set in Uttar Pradesh, the film’s opening act effectively establishes the couple’s environment and power imbalance. A seemingly offhand remark—“Ek cooker kharab hota hai, sahab doosra le aate hain.”—early on quietly signals Abbas’s view of disposability, foreshadowing later betrayal. The film maintains a deliberate pace in its first half but becomes less consistent after the interval.

Performance Highlights

Yami Gautam Dhar anchors the film with a controlled, sincere performance that sustains its emotional core. Her stunned reaction—“Aapne doosri shaadi kar li?”—and her courtroom scenes convey both indignation and vulnerability, echoing the pathos associated with the Shah Bano narrative. Emraan Hashmi subdues his usual screen manner to play Abbas as composed yet strategically detached. Vartika Singh’s turn as Saira is quietly effective, while Danish Husain lends grounded support as Shazia’s father. Sheeba Chadha, portraying Shazia’s counsel, reinforces the film’s refusal to cast the dispute in purely communal terms by having a Hindu woman defend a Muslim woman’s rights.

Haq functions more as a prompt for dialogue than as a perfect legal thriller. Its courtroom sequences follow familiar beats, and moments of melodrama undercut the film’s restraint, yet Suparn Varma’s effort to reopen an important debate about women’s rights merits recognition. Above all, the performances—led by Yami Gautam Dhar—ensure the film leaves a thoughtful impression.