The director of the Bollywood film Haqq, Suparn Verma, has revealed that actress Yami Gautam formally studied and sought to understand the Quran in preparation for her role as Shazia Bano.
In an interview with BBC, Verma said: “While making Haqq, I ended up learning about the Quran from Yami Gautam. She spent four months understanding it for her role in the film.”
He added that references to the Quran were included in the film, which is why it concludes with the word “Iqra” (Read).
The Indian director said that when it comes to Islam, many misconceptions arise. “We live in an age where misinformation is widespread. Everyone has access to information, but it’s hard to know what is accurate. I wanted this film to serve as a source of correct understanding.”
Verma noted that he has many Muslim friends and feels a sense of responsibility towards them as an Indian. He said the team spent around a year and a half studying Islamic law.
He further explained that he wanted to address common misconceptions about triple talaq and highlight that mehr functions as a pre-marital agreement intended to protect women.
The director added that if asked why he chose to tell a story that is 40 years old, his response would be: “What has changed in women’s lives over the past four decades? Women still live in a world where men often act arbitrarily. They continue to face discrimination and are still fighting for their rights.”
