Movie Review of film Haq

Haq (meaning "Right" or "Claim"), a Hindi courtroom drama, has generally received positive reviews from critics. It is heavily inspired by the landmark Shah Bano case of the 1980s, which dealt with maintenance rights for divorced Muslim women in India.

Here is a summary of the critical reception:

Overall Consensus

• Powerful and Restrained: Critics largely praised the film for its mature and restrained handling of a highly sensitive and complex socio-legal subject. It avoids

  melodrama and sensationalism, focusing instead on the human story.

• Focus on Dignity and Rights: The core of the film is the protagonist's fight for her dignity, rights, and justice against male entitlement and patriarchal misinterpretation of faith and law.

• Strong Performances: The lead performances by Yami Gautam Dhar and Emraan Hashmi have been universally lauded as some of their best work.

What Works Well

• The Story and Subject: The film, directed by Suparn S. Varma, is based on a fictionalized account of the Shah Bano case. It revolves around Shazia Bano (Yami Gautam Dhar), who takes her successful lawyer husband Abbas Khan (Emraan Hashmi) to court for maintenance after he divorces her through triple talaq.

• Performances:

  • Yami Gautam Dhar is frequently called career-defining for her nuanced and restrained portrayal of Shazia Bano's quiet strength, pain, and defiance.

  • Emraan Hashmi is excellent as Abbas Khan, playing him not as an over-the-top villain, but as a charming, entitled, and manipulative man who hides his patriarchy behind legal and religious arguments, which makes him frighteningly real.

• Direction and Writing: The film is commended for its clarity, sincerity, and balance. It critiques the misuse and misinterpretation of religious law to justify patriarchy without vilifying the religion itself. The dialogues are noted for being authentic and hard-hitting.

• Pacing and Tone: The film's deliberate, measured pacing in the first half allows the audience to connect with the characters and the emotional breakdown of the marriage, making the subsequent courtroom fight feel earned.

Common Criticisms

• Courtroom Clichés: Like many courtroom dramas, the film occasionally relies on familiar tropes, such as impassioned, climactic monologues, which some found a bit melodramatic.

• Lack of Broader Context: A few critics felt the film too narrowly focused on Shazia's personal fight and deliberately steered clear of the larger political and social fallout of the real-life Shah Bano case, especially its later legislative consequences.

• Heavy Language: The extensive use of Urdu dialogue was noted as potentially alienating a segment of the audience.

In short, Haq is considered a thought-provoking, powerful, and important courtroom drama elevated by its sincerity and exceptional lead performances.