29 September,2026 02:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shahid movie and Apurva Asrani. Pics via IMDb and Instagram
More than a decade after its theatrical release, Hansal Mehta's National Award-winning Shahid has finally arrived on Prime Video. The 2013 film, which stars Rajkummar Rao as lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi, had remained unavailable on a streaming platform for years. Its long-awaited OTT debut has now prompted writer-editor Apurva M Asrani to reflect on why it took 13 years for the film to find a digital home.
Apurva Asrani, who co-wrote and edited the film, marked its arrival on Prime Video with a note on X. While celebrating the film's streaming release, he questioned whether the political climate over the years had played any role in the prolonged absence of a film centred on dissent, due process and the rights of those accused under terror laws.
In his post, Asrani recalled the story at the heart of Shahid, which follows Shahid Azmi's work as a lawyer defending people accused under terror laws. The real-life lawyer was assassinated in 2010.
"I've often wondered why Shahid remained without a streaming platform for so long," Asrani wrote, pointing to the years that followed the film's release and what he described as an increasingly difficult environment for dissenters, activists, journalists and those defending the rights of accused individuals.
He also referred to activist Umar Khalid while making his broader point about the treatment of dissent and questioned whether the film's delayed streaming journey reflected the climate in which such stories were being told.
"So why now? Why does a film like Shahid finally find a streaming platform in 2026? Has the mood changed?" he asked.
Asrani's questions come years after director Hansal Mehta had himself spoken about Shahid's lack of an OTT release. In 2022, Mehta said he was unaware of who held the film's rights or where its original version was, describing the situation as a "personal tragedy" for those involved with the project and for Shahid Azmi's legacy.
The film had premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival before travelling to several international festivals. It subsequently won two honours at the 61st National Film Awards, with Mehta winning Best Director and Rajkummar Rao sharing the Best Actor award.
Now available on Prime Video, Shahid brings Rao's acclaimed performance and Mehta's biographical drama to a much wider streaming audience. Asrani concluded his post by expressing pride in the film and thanking Prime Video for finally giving it a digital home.
"Whatever the reason, I'm proud of this film," he wrote, calling it a reminder of the kind of cinema the team believed in. Shahid is now streaming on Prime Video.
