Showing posts with label 200 Halla Ho. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 200 Halla Ho. Show all posts
Unlike poetry, art has played less crucial role in the Dalit movement-Amol Palekar
8:11 AM
Returning to screen with 200 Halla Ho that revolves around Dalit oppression, Palekar lashes out at Hindi cinema for not highlighting the social issue
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; August 21, 2021)
A sign, presumptive as it may be, that 200 Halla Ho has the makings of a powerful movie is the fact that Amol Palekar agreed to front it. It is, after all, not easy to lure the actor — one of the finest of his generation — to face the camera. Then again, he argues that few scripts in Hindi cinema are stimulating. Shining on screen over a decade after Samaantar (2009), the veteran actor is glad that the OTT boom has enabled strong stories like 200 Halla Ho, which revolves around the oppression of Dalit women, to reach the audience.
“Caste is the underlying truth of our socio-cultural-political reality. Art and cinema ought to [depict] our fractured sensibilities, but they don’t. Unlike poetry, art has played less crucial role in the Dalit movement. Why is classical music bereft of lower caste participation? Isn’t it because of their systematic exclusion? Why does no one challenge the Brahminical aesthetics that have ruled us for centuries? Is it because the upper caste is in majority?”
Palekar is appalled at how popular cinema doesn’t invest in the depiction of the disturbing reality. “There is a conspicuous silence on the issues of social rejects. Thanks to OTT platforms, the themes that are banned from mainstream Hindi films are offered to the audience. Who wants to enlighten the masses? [Bollywood’s] aim is to make Rs. 100 crore,” he says wryly.
The Sarthak Dasgupta-directed drama sees him play a retired Dalit judge, who heads the fact-finding committee investigating the lynching of a rape-accused by 200 Dalit women. The ZEE5 film is inspired by the 2004 incident when around 200 women had killed Akku Yadav at Nagpur district court. “That the subject revolved around the oppression of Dalit women and their revolt, not as a wishful narration of upper-caste filmmakers, but was based on true events, attracted me.”
Besides becoming a worthy rival to cinemas, digital entertainment has contributed significantly to the changing content landscape. However, the actor-director warns that the shift is only temporary. “Wait till the virus wave subsides, and people start planning films for theatrical release. The same old trash will come to the surface, although the audience has repeatedly rejected them.”
I feel lucky to have worked with Amol Palekar in the initial years of my career-Rinku Rajguru
8:10 AM
Sairat actor Rinku Rajguru ecstatic to work with Amol Palekar in the initial years of her career as they team up for 200 Halla Ho
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; August 16, 2021)
To Rinku Rajguru, 200 Halla Ho is an affirmation that her career is enabling her to do what she wanted — collaborate with artistes to tell urgent stories.
Director Sarthak Dasgupta’s drama tells the story of 200 Dalit women who, tired of being oppressed for years, take the law into their own hands and lynch a rapist in open court. Joining her in the ZEE5 offering is Amol Palekar.
Never in her wildest dream had Rajguru imagined that the opportunity to share screen space with the senior actor would present itself so early on in her career. “I remember watching his films as a child, and thinking how brilliantly he portrays all his characters. There are so many actresses who have been in the industry for years, and have wanted to work with him. I feel lucky to have worked with him in the initial years of my career,” says Rajguru of Sairat (2016) fame.
In 200 Halla Ho, she plays Asha, who mobilises women to speak up against the rape and murder of a Dalit woman. She is proud that the narrative tackles not only crimes against women, but also caste oppression. “I saw it as an opportunity to spread awareness about the injustice faced by women and how it is important to speak up. I was [shocked] that Dalit women are brutalised every day, and no one even raises their voice.”
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