Harinder Sikka Calls Choosing Meghna Gulzar for Raazi His ‘Gravest Misjudgment'

Mumbai — Author Harinder Sikka has voiced strong regret over the film adaptation of his novel Calling Sehmat, which inspired the 2018 movie Raazi starring Alia Bhatt and directed by Meghna Gulzar.

Sharing his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter), Sikka said that appointing Meghna Gulzar as director was his “gravest misjudgment.” According to him, the film failed to fully capture the essence and intent of his original story, despite prior warnings he had received.

The author made these remarks while also promoting his recent work *Dhurandhar*, posting an image of several of his books including *Calling Sehmat*, *The Spy Chronicles*, and others. He described *Calling Sehmat* as one of the most impactful espionage books globally, highlighting that it deals with cross-border tensions and deeper narratives that, in his view, did not translate effectively onto the big screen.

Sikka further claimed that “ideological bias” diluted the portrayal of the protagonist in the film adaptation, preventing it from reflecting the true spirit of the story.

Despite his criticism of the movie, he noted that *Calling Sehmat* continues to enjoy global readership nearly two decades after its release and remains a bestseller. He also revealed that more of his works, such as *Vichhoda*, *Gobind*, and *The Chabimaster*, are currently being adapted for screen.

*Raazi*, which also featured Vicky Kaushal along with Rajit Kapur, Shishir Sharma, and Jaideep Ahlawat, is based on the real-life story of an Indian spy who marries into a Pakistani military family to pass on crucial intelligence to India ahead of the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
 

With inputs from IANS