Appointing Meghna Gulzar was 'misjudgment,' says author behind 'Raazi'
What's the story
Harinder Sikka, the author of the 2008 espionage novel Calling Sehmat, has once again expressed disappointment over the film adaptation, Raazi. The 2018 movie starred Alia Bhatt and was directed by Meghna Gulzar. In a recent post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Sikka said appointing Gulzar was his "gravest misjudgment."
Regret
Sikka regrets working with Gulzar on 'Raazi'
Sikka's post also emphasized the global impact of his book. He wrote, "Calling Sehmat #Raazi ranks among the top books on espionage ever written, globally." "It exposes Pakistan across border, hostile forces in Bollywood & a Punjab-based criminals within." "Appointing Meghna Gulzar was my gravest misjudgment. Despite clear warnings, I failed to foresee how ideological bias would end up diminishing the true spirit of the protagonist."
Twitter Post
Read Sikka's tweet here
Calling Sehmat #Raazi ranks among the top books on espionage ever written, globally. It exposes Pakistan across border, hostile forces in Bollywood & a Punjab-based criminals within.
— Harinder S Sikka (@sikka_harinder) March 29, 2026
Appointing Meghna Gulzar was my gravest misjudgment. Despite clear warnings, I failed to… pic.twitter.com/RZHxAwdmSq
Criticism
'The way Meghna Gulzar twisted the story...'
In another post, Sikka wrote, "It was my fault. I was told by many people not to trust Meghna...that she was a leftist, etc. But I couldn't believe it." Interacting with another X user in a separate post, he reflected, "The way Meghna Gulzar twisted the story through a leftist lens still pains me deeply." "Film on the legendary Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was no different. All the ugly # Congress acts of ill-treating the Field Marshal were missing."
Future projects
Know more about 'Raazi'
Raazi also stars Vicky Kaushal, Rajit Kapur, Shishir Sharma, and Jaideep Ahlawat in key roles. The film is based on Sikka's 2008 novel Calling Sehmat about an Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent who marries into a Pakistani military family to relay information to India before the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. It's streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.