“Everyone in uniform is not a hero. Sometime, they indulge in bigger crimes,” Wahid Shaikh said.
By Muslim Mirror Correspondent
Haemolymph, a biopic based on the life of Abdul Wahid Shaikh, a Mumbai-based teacher who was put behind bars for nine years in a false case, was released on Friday, 27 May.
The film showcases the arrest of Shaikh on false charges related to the 2006 bomb blasts and the series of events that followed. “I want that everyone in the country watches the story of Wahid Shaikh and feels his pain,” the film’s director Sudarshan Gamare said in an interview with Muslim Mirror.
Talking about budget of the film, Gamare said that almost 1 crore rupees were spent on the film’s sooting and something between 2.5 to 3 crore rupees were spent on its distribution.
After his release from jail in 2015, Shaikh penned down his autobiography titled as ‘Innocent Prisoner’, which was published in Urdu, Hindi and English. The book was ready by Gamare and it was the moment when he got an idea about making a film on the topic, Shaikh said while speaking to MM over a call.
He further talked about various aspects of his life.
On his days in jail
“There were many ups and downs in jail. Sometimes, we were beaten and tortured by prison officials. There were times when we used to mourn after getting news of death of any fellow prisoner’s kin. We used to prepare for exams. We also used to cheer up and celebrate when Eid and Baqra Eid would come up,” he said.
Shaikh did a degree course in law from inside jail. He said he decided to do LLB after taking an inspiration from Shahid Azmi, a Mumbai-based lawyer who fought for several terror accused and was killed on 11 February 2010.
On his father’s death
“My father died just a year after my arrest. He was already a patient of asthma and was grief-stricken due to my imprisonment. He suffered an asthma attack,” Shaikh said.
With the court’s permission, he could attend his father’s funeral prayer. “I met my mother on this occasion. It was a really painful moment for me,” he added.
On Shahid Azmi
“He was an inspirational defence lawyer. It was sure that maximum accused would have been released from jail if he were alive. But he was killed,” Shaikh said.
Azmi’s death increased the trouble for him and other accused. He believes that it was due to Azmi’s absence that 12 accused, except him, were convicted by a sessions court in the Mumbai blast case.
On films vilifying victims of police atrocities
He says he feels pained to know about the films that glorifies police personnel. “Everyone in uniform is not a hero. Sometime, they indulge in bigger crimes, because they get proaction due to their uniform,” he said.
He believes that the police in India have legally been given “privilege and protection”. “They do anything, kill people in fake counters, supply weapons and indulge many other things you are aware of, due to the protection given to them.”
He added that all police personnel are not bad. There were certain cops who treated him well during his days in jail. “The films sheds light on such cops all well,” he said.