‘Have never made films to court controversy’

If you’re an OTT buff, chances are you haven’t missed ‘The Family Man’ or ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai’, both featuring the ever-versatile Manoj Bajpayee. And one man who’s been a key force behind these hits is Suparn Verma. Starting out as a journalist, Verma stepped into filmmaking in 2005 with ‘Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena’, followed by ‘Acid Factory’, ‘Rana Naidu’, ‘The Trial’ and now ‘Haq’. His latest film, starring Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam, draws inspiration from the landmark 1985 Shah Bano case. Verma clearly has a flair for courtroom dramas. Ahead of the film’s release on November 7, ‘Millennium Post’ catches up with him for a candid chat. Excerpts:

Be it ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai’, ‘The Trial’ and now ‘Haq’, you seem to be inclined towards legal stories.

I’ve done action, horror and courtroom dramas. I’ve done ‘The Family Man’ too. I’m having a blast experimenting across all genres. I’m blessed to share important stories and issues, more than anything else. I want to make a trilogy on courtroom dramas. Be it ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kafi Hai’ or ‘Haq’, I am telling stories which are important to know as a nation and citizens and in a way bring about a balanced discussion and a point of view.

As a storyteller, what should be kept in mind when narrating a real-life story like ‘Haq’?

‘Haq’ is inspired by real-life incidents, around which we have woven our characters, our world and our story. For any real-life story, one needs to take care of research. We spent around two years researching the law, the Quran, talking to members of the community and getting them on board to guide us as we wrote our draft. Then, of course, the casting came and we got a dream cast with Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam alongside Sheeba Chaddha. Emraan is one of the best actors of our generation. And Yami has absolutely surrendered to the role and gone through intense preparations. She is sublime.

In the age of censorship, how difficult it is to narrate a story inspired by true stories and that, too, a controversial one?

You make your films with the intention you want and your intention should be to make a good film. I have never made cinema to court controversy. I try to make cinema to engage the mind and the heart. As for the censorship, I have had the best experience with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). It’s not as if we’re suddenly living in an age of censorship. It has always been there. As a journalist, too, I did articles on censorship. But the fact remains that I had really wonderful experiences with some wonderful, educated people on the board. We live in a country where there are certain rules and regulations and as a citizen, you obey them. It’s not like films are not being released. So, there have been some unfortunate instances, but those are few and far between. But they've always happened through the years, through the decades of our existence.

In ‘The Trial’ and now ‘Haq’, you highlight women’s rights in society. Have things changed over the years for women?

Honestly, the unfortunate part is that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Yes, we have more conversations now. We are more aware, but the fact is that for women, the struggles fundamentally remain the same. We are not living in a woman’s world but a patriarchal society. So, women are still having the same issues, whether domestic or professional. They are fighting the same judgments, biases and apathy that existed.

‘Haq’ also questions the need for a Uniform Civil Code.

(Cuts in) It is a discussion I want people to have after watching the film. As society evolves, thoughts expand and the world changes and everything changes accordingly. Like the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, gave women full equal rights of ownership of property as men. So, everything evolves on this planet. It's the law of nature. Evolution is what literally drives us forward. Today, we talk about digital laws and privacy. And most importantly, everything is a matter of discussion.

Be it ‘The Family Man’ or ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kafi Hai’, some of your best works are with Manoj Bajpayee. When is the next collaboration happening?

I am absolutely busy with ‘Haq’ now and I will plan my life post its release. With Manoj, it’s a many-layered relationship. We’ve realised that we’ve set the bar so high with ‘The Family Man’ and ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai’ that when we reunite, it has to be nothing short of spectacular.

LEGAL MATTERS

Siddiqua Begum, daughter of Shah Bano, has served a legal notice alleging unauthorised depiction of her mother’s life story without consent from legal heirs.

Firstly, the entire matter is being handled by our legal team. Secondly, in our film, the story of Shazia Bano and Abbas Khan is inspired by true-life happenings and the Supreme Court judgment, which is a matter of public record. It’s inspired by not just one, but various women in that era, who were fighting the good fight for their rights. So, it’s inspired by them and brought into an absolutely original character of Shazia Bano in a different world that we have created of our own. We have treated the story with utmost respect, reverence and a lot of love.