Ex-Principal Judge Directs Film on Saira Khan Case, Poster Out

Based on a real case from Chauhan’s own courtroom, Saira Khan Case chronicles the ordeal of a Muslim woman unilaterally divorced through triple talaq and separated from her children, while her husband maintained four marriages. The drama explores the complex conflict between personal religious law and India’s secular statutes—an issue Chauhan herself adjudicated when she pronounced the landmark judgment.

“Certain prejudices in the system forced me to choose between privileges and principles. I chose the latter and opted out of judicial service,” Chauhan said. “But my commitment to justice never wavered. Cinema became my new courtroom.” After voluntarily retiring, she pursued a diploma in filmmaking to bring such real-life stories to the public.

Guided by Razdan, Swati has transformed her own courtroom verdict into a powerful cinematic narrative.

Talking about how closely the film follows the actual case, she says, “As far as the facts of the film are concerned, I’ve kept the soul of my 2014 judgment intact while observing strict privacy—no names, locations, or identifying details of the parties involved. The verdict pronounced in the film closely reflects excerpts from my original ruling, with only minor modifications. We’ve taken creative liberties to add characters, settings, and the passage of time, also touching on recent legal changes such as the ban on talaq-e-biddat and ongoing Supreme Court litigation on other forms of triple talaq. The core issue, however, remains exactly as in the original judgment.”

Produced by Salim Lalani, Swati Chauhan, Nizar Lalani, Shamshu Pirani, Nimesh patel and Satish Bhanushali, under the banner of Soul Films.