- Film ‘Shahid’ streams after thirteen years, unavailable domestically.
- Co-writer Apurva Asrani questions lengthy delay in film’s streaming.
- Asrani links delay to political climate affecting courageous storytelling.
- The film portrays lawyer Shahid Azmi’s fight for human rights.
Shahid, starring Rajkummar Rao, has finally made its way to an OTT platform after 13 long years. However, the National Award-winning film is currently unavailable to stream in India. The film is written by Sameer Gautam Singh and Apurva M Asrani, who also edited it. Interestingly, the Shahid’s Netflix page also appears to allow users to request a notification when the title becomes available, hinting at a possible Netflix release in the future.
‘Shahid’ Remains Unavailable In India
Although Prime Video India has listed Shahid on its platform, the film is currently unavailable to stream in the country. The film holds an IMDb rating of 8.2, with its synopsis describing how Shahid Azmi, a lawyer and human rights activist who was assassinated in 2010, became an unlikely champion of human rights, particularly for India’s Muslim minority.
Alongside Rajkummar Rao, the film features Prabhleen Sandhu and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in key supporting roles.
Apurva M Asrani Pens Emotional Note
Following the film’s arrival on Prime Video, Apurva penned a lengthy note expressing his gratitude while reflecting on the film’s long journey to an OTT platform. “The National Award-winning Shahid is finally streaming on Prime Video. It took 13 years for our film to find a streaming home,” he wrote.
Describing the film’s subject, Apurva added that Shahid tells the story of lawyer Shahid Azmi, who defended people accused under terror laws and fought for due process at a time when, according to him, Muslims were often presumed guilty before being proven innocent. He also recalled that Azmi was murdered for his work.
Apurva also questioned why the film took so long to find a streaming platform.
“I’ve often wondered why Shahid remained without a streaming platform for so long,” he wrote, pointing to the political climate in the years following the film’s release.
“Then came a political climate in which dissenters, activists, journalists and those defending the rights of the accused increasingly found themselves under suspicion. In that same period, people like Umar Khalid have spent years in prison awaiting trial.”
He further argued that filmmakers, actors and writers interested in making what he described as “courageous stories” often struggled to get such projects made or were pushed towards more politically acceptable narratives. “Many of us – filmmakers, actors and writers drawn to courageous stories like Shahid – either struggled to get such ideas made or were co-opted by the system into telling ‘kosher’ stories that won national awards thanks to their political conformity and despite their mediocrity,” he wrote.
He further questioned the need to release the film at this point, but added that, whatever the reason may be, he remains proud to have been a part of it. “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?”
“Watch it if you haven’t. Watch it again if you have,” he wrote, before calling the film a reminder of the kind of cinema the team believed in.
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, 2026
About ‘Shahid’
Made on a reported budget of Rs 65 lakh, Shahid went on to become a box-office success, earning around Rs 3.70 crore. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2012, before its theatrical release in India on October 18, 2013.
Directed by Hansal Mehta, the biographical drama stars Rajkummar Rao in the titular role. The film was jointly produced by Anurag Kashyap and Sunil Bohra, in association with Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur, under the UTV Spotboy banner.
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