Shahid comes on OTT after 13 years, writer asks why now in politically charged note

13 years after its theatrical release, Shahid has finally found a streaming home on Prime Video. The arrival of Hansal Mehta’s National Award-winning film, however, has prompted writer-editor Apurva M Asrani to ask a larger question: why now? In a politically charged note, Asrani reflected on the film’s long absence from OTT, the changing space for stories about dissent and the rights of the accused, and whether the political climate has anything to do with its delayed digital release.

Apurva marked the film's arrival on the platform while questioning the long gap between its theatrical release and streaming debut in a note on X. He wrote that Shahid took 13 years to find a streaming home and recalled what the film set out to tell through the story of lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi.

“Shahid tells the story of Shahid Azmi, a lawyer who defended people accused under terror laws and fought for due process in a climate where Muslims were often presumed guilty before being proven innocent. He was murdered for that courage,” Apurva wrote.

He then questioned why the film remained unavailable on a streaming platform for so long. Reflecting on the political climate in the years following the film's release, Apurva drew a connection between the difficulties faced by those telling stories about dissent, activism and the rights of the accused and the film's delayed digital release.

“I’ve often wondered why Shahid remained without a streaming platform for so long. It was released a year before 2014. Then came a political climate in which dissenters, activists, journalists and those defending the rights of the accused increasingly found themselves under suspicion,” he wrote.

Apurva also referred to the case of activist Umar Khalid, who has spent years in prison awaiting trial, while making his broader point about the climate in which such stories were being told. The National Award winning #Shahid is finally streaming on Prime Video. It took 13 years for our film to find a streaming home.Shahid tells the story of Shahid Azmi, a lawyer who defended people accused under terror laws and fought for due process in a climate where Muslims pic.twitter.com/Ms6p6vcB2w— Apurva M Asrani (@Apurvasrani) September 28, 2026Apurva Asrani on the changing space for such stories

The writer-editor went on to reflect on filmmakers, actors and writers who, according to him, were interested in telling stories similar to Shahid but struggled to get them made.

He alleged that some were eventually “co-opted by the system” into making what he described as “kosher” stories, which he argued could receive National Awards because of their political conformity rather than their artistic merit.

Apurva then questioned why Shahid had finally found a streaming platform in 2026.

“So why now? Why does a film like Shahid finally find a streaming platform in 2026? Has the mood changed? Is there growing resistance to the politics of fear?” he wrote.

He added that regardless of the reason for the film's delayed OTT release, he remained proud of the project and its impact on his career.

“Whatever the reason, I’m proud of this film. It established me as a co-writer/editor and brought me back to the kind of cinema I believe in,” Apurva wrote.

He ended his post by thanking Prime Video and urging viewers to revisit the film.

“This film, made by a wonderful team, is a reminder of the kind of courageous cinema we used to make and celebrate. Thank you @PrimeVideoIN,” he added.Hansal Mehta had earlier raised questions over Shahid's OTT absence

The film's long absence from streaming is not a new concern for its director Hansal Mehta. In 2022, Mehta had expressed his disappointment that Shahid was not available on any OTT platform.

At the time, he said he did not know who owned the rights to the film or where its original version was. He described the situation as a “personal tragedy” for everyone who had worked on the film, as well as for Shahid Azmi.

Mehta also pointed out that the film had premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, won two National Awards and travelled to several international festivals, yet still had no streaming home.

The film's eventual arrival on Prime Video therefore comes more than a decade after its theatrical release.About Shahid

Released in theatres on October 18, 2013, Shahid is based on the life of Shahid Azmi, a Mumbai-based lawyer and human rights activist who was assassinated in 2010. Rajkummar Rao plays the title role, with Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Prabhleen Sandhu and Baljinder Kaur in supporting roles.

Directed by Hansal Mehta, the film had its world premiere at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival as part of its City to City programme. It was subsequently screened at festivals including the Mumbai Film Festival, New York Indian Film Festival, Indian Film Festival of Stuttgart, Dubai International Film Festival and Chicago South Asian Film Festival.

Shahid went on to win two major honours at the 61st National Film Awards. Hansal Mehta won Best Direction, while Rajkummar Rao shared the Best Actor award.

The screenplay was written by Sameer Gautam Singh and Apurva Asrani, with Asrani also serving as the film's editor. The film was produced by Anurag Kashyap, Sunil Bohra, Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur.- Ends