Sen had penned the elderly Muslim woman 's character bearing Surekha Sikri ( a non-Muslim actress ) in mind , and incidentally , Sikri and Bhisham Sahni ( a non-Muslim Hindi writer ) were chosen to play the roles of the Muslim couple in the film .
Sen had penned the elderly Muslim woman 's character bearing Surekha Sikri in mind . 
 Eventually Sikri and Bhisham Sahni ( a Hindi writer ) were cast to play the roles of the Muslim couple in the film .