Filmmaker Hansal Mehta admitted in a social media post on Wednesday that Amazon Prime Video’s decision to make his 2012 movie Shahid available only on rent has left him baffled.
Shahid, starring Rajkumar Rao, follows the journey of human rights lawyer Shahid Azmi, played by Rajkummar Rao, who is extraordinarily committed to justice. The film chronicles Shahid's journey from being wrongfully accused of terrorism to becoming a champion for justice, highlighting his struggles, triumphs and ultimate sacrifice for truth and justice.
It is currently available to rent on Prime Video for Rs 119.
“Finally #Shahid on @PrimeVideoIN. The version that was released theatrically is available somewhere. Wonder why on rent!” Mehta t wrote on X (formerly Twitter), wondering about the streamer’s decision to exclude the film from its overall subscription package.
Apart from Rajkummar, Shahid also stars Prabhleen Sandhu, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Baljinder Kaur, Kay Kay Menon and Tigmanshu Dhulia. With a screenplay by Hansal Mehta, Apurva Asrani and Sameer Gautam Singh, the movie was released theatrically on October 18, 2013.
Mehta, known for films like Aligarh, Citylights and The Accidental Prime Minister, last directed The Buckingham Murders starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and the SonyLiv crime drama series Scam 2003. He has the film Dedh Bigha Zameen starring Pratik Gandhi and Khushali Kumar in the pipeline, which is currently in post-production stage.
On his part, Rajkummar will be next seen in Srikanth, a biopic of visually impaired industrialist Srikanth Bolla. The trailer for the film directed by Tushar Hiranandani was dropped by the makers on April 9.
