Shahid is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language biographical drama film directed by Hansal Mehta, written by Sameer Gautam Singh and jointly produced by Anurag Kashyap and Sunil Bohra in association with Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under the UTV Spotboy banner.

He moves back to Mumbai, where he is arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act for an alleged conspiracy to assassinate some politicians.

Shahid is tortured by police and forced to admit to the crime, after which he spends seven years at Tihar Jail in New Delhi.

Another inmate, Ghulam Navi Waar, inspires him to begin his college education, and once he is acquitted of the charges, he studies law in Mumbai.

Shahid's first major success as a defence lawyer was winning an acquittal, due to lack of evidence, for Arif Paanwala, who was arrested under POTA for the 2002 Mumbai bus bombing.

Mehta stated in an interview with Priyanka Pereira of The Wall Street Journal that he needed a break after some of his films proved to be a box-office failures, like Woodstock Villa (2007) and Raakh (2010).

[3] He felt that Azmi lived an "ordinary life, with extraordinary conviction to do what he believed was right" and that his story "had to be told".

Mehta and Singh also met his colleagues, attended court sessions, petitions, litigations and learned how to get a client acquitted.

At the time, the film's co-producer Anurag Kashyap suggested he cast Rajkummar Rao thinking he was perfect for the role of Azmi.

[3] In preparing for the role, Rao met Azmi's family and spent time with them to understand the man and his personality.

[10] Mehta chose to shoot in the apartment above Azmi's ground floor residence in the Taximen's Colony as he wanted to "capture the sense of claustrophobia and unkemptness of his home".

In 2000, members of Shiv Sena who were protesting against Mehta's drama film Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!!

[15] For an interrogation scene, Rao suggested Mehta show him naked as he wanted to "feel the embarrassment, the mental pain of the character.

Mehta ultimately decided to give him a screenplay credit as he felt Asrani "shaped the narrative" of the film.

[37] [15][38][39] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV called it a "gritty, gutsy, bold and brave" film that articulates "uncomfortable truths about contemporary India, its media, its judiciary and, of course, its people.

"[42] Madhureeta Mukherjee of The Times of India said the film is "brutally honest, brave and above all a fascinating humane story".

"[44] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express mentioned in her review that the film "needed to have been made" and Mehta "tells it straight, without any false flourishes".

"[45] India Today's Suhani Singh gave a positive review, writing the film "stops short of hero worship and is a fitting tribute to an inspiring figure.

"[46] Anupama Chopra praised Rao's performance in the film and called it his "triumph, [..] his Shahid has strength, anguish and a controlled anger, but also real charm.

"[47] Vinayak Chakravorty of India Today noted it as a "career-defining role" for Rao and the "biggest reason you will love this unusual film.

"[49] Mid-Day's Shubha Shetty Saha wrote: "Not often do we get the opportunity to watch a relevant movie that depicts the times we live in, with unblinking directness.

[52] Mint's Sanjukta Sharma called it an "admirable project" and praised Rao's performance but stated the film fell "short of a masterpiece" as a biopic.

[53] Namrata Joshi felt that the film "portrays the psyche of the Indian Muslim in the changing, increasingly polarised India with warmth and simplicity.

"[55] Journalist and writer Rana Ayyub said that the film was a "brave and worthy tribute to [Azmi's] work and courage.

"[56] Among overseas reviewers, Omer M. Mozaffar of RogerEbert.com praised Mehta's direction and called his work a "pleasant surprise": "the lack of polish at first seems like a film school weakness, but grows into a well-crafted asset, especially in his deliberate fades to black.

"[57] Rachel Saltz of The New York Times gave a positive review writing: "[Mehta] has made a film of conviction that's neither plodding nor preachy."