‘Wish to be a member of a ‘hundred crore & more’ membership appears to be mutually unique with creating good cinema,’ says Amol Palekar, who believes ‘extra movies on issues of caste can get monetary backing by OTT platforms supplied the filmmakers want to narrate these tales.’
ZEE5’s newest providing 200 Halla Ho is an intense watch, leaving one with many afterthoughts, and even resulting in disbelief over whether or not the occasions showcased within the film ever occurred. However, based mostly on an actual story, the film opens with a gaggle of ladies operating out of the courtroom in Nagpur after slaughtering the person who has molested them for over a decade and remained immune due to the corrupt police.
Directed and co-written by Sarthak Dasgupta (The Great Indian Butterfly, Music Teacher), 200 Halla Ho addresses the topic of caste oppression, authorized loopholes, and systemic violence. It is held collectively by terrific performances from Amol Palekar, Sushma Deshpande, Rinku Rajguru, Barun Sobti, Saloni Batra and others, punctuated with the correct amount of silence and monologues.
Palekar, recognized for 1970s Hindi movies like Rajnigandha, Chitchor, Chhoti Si Baat, and Gol Maal, returns to cinema after a niche of 12 years. The actor, who leads a reality-checking committee within the film, says the film is a tribute to girls’s refusal to succumb to the atrocities of caste and patriarchy. In an interview with Firstpost, Palekar and Rinku Rajguru open up on 200 Halla Ho, how it ‘passes the Bechdel take a look at,’ and why cinema is the saving grace within the depiction of social evils.
Excerpts from the interview beneath
The trailer says the film is impressed from an actual life occasion. We see you as a reality-checking committee member and an investigating officer on the case respectively, combating for the oppressed. Will you please elaborate on why you selected to take on the function?
Palekar: The enticing a part of this script was that it’s not a fictional, wishful narration of ladies’s protest however based mostly on true occasions. I’m very completely happy that I’m part of this film which can rating the best on the Bechdel take a look at, which measures the illustration of ladies in movies. Unfortunately in Indian cinema, issues of caste have remained invisible, barring just a few exceptions like Achhut Kanya, Sujata, Ankur, Bandit Queen, Sairat or Fandry. Even when the topic offers with caste issues, the main target stays on oppression. This script supplied a theme past the stereotyped social victimhood of Dalits and girls. This film is a tribute to girls’s refusal to succumb to the atrocities of caste and patriarchy.
I play Arjun Dangle, a retired Dalit choose. He heads the actual fact-discovering committee appointed by the nationwide girls’s group as he’s recognized for his integrity and swears by our structure. Moreover, he prides himself that he by no means let his judgment get clouded by caste-creed-faith associated issues. What struck a wire with me was that he doesn’t stay a mere bystander. Going past the technical studying of legal guidelines, he stays trustworthy to the spirit of these legal guidelines.
Rajguru: I’ve a dialogue within the film that claims, “Why shouldn’t I speak on caste?” And we repeatedly see the distinctions between the higher caste and decrease caste in our nation. The film talks about how one ought to struggle in opposition to oppression. I play the function of Asha, an unbiased, robust younger lady, who stands as much as the atrocities for her individuals. She motivates everybody to talk out, groups up all, and goes in opposition to the oppression.
Rinku Rajguru in 200 Halla Ho
Amol, you come back to movies after virtually a decade. How was the expertise of being away from the display screen, for all this whereas? Was it easy to slip within the function?
Palekar: I used to be seen final in Khamosh (1996), after which in Samaantar (2009). Not eager to do a mono-dimensional character has all the time been the driving drive in selecting movies. As an outdated-timer, I observe sure disciplines. All the nuances concerning the character and dialogue have been superb-tuned earlier than the taking pictures by discussions with the director and producers. After we received readability on varied shades of the character, I used to be able to give up to the director on the units. I additionally insisted on conserving my ‘point of view as a director’ at residence, and merge with the staff of artists and technicians. All this made the precise performing very easy.
Rinku, what was your prep to take on the function of social activist?
I used to be very clear from the start on what and how I need to painting myself. But I used to be additionally dependent on my director. I’d ask him for notes on how he desires Asha to be. Also as a result of Asha, as a personality, is mature, older compared to my age. She could be very smart, is aware of how to speak, what to say, so sure, there have been just a few preparations for the function.
How was your expertise whereas working with Barun Sobti and different actors?
Palekar: Unfortunately, I don’t have any scene with Barun, and just one with Rinku. However, the actors of as we speak’s era appear to be very keen to provide their finest.
Rajguru: I had a beautiful expertise working with everybody. Amol sir is a legendary actor, and I learnt quite a bit from him. There was a lot to choose by merely observing him carry out, speak, stroll and every little thing. He would additionally information us whereas working, give notes, and I might see the distinction after following his recommendation.
The film offers with a really intense topic with regard to caste-based mostly politics and molestation. As a filmmaker your self, what measure do you suppose ought to taken for a delicate remedy of such topics?
Palekar: Atrocities on decrease caste males-girls have been routinely handled as headlines on fourth web page of newspapers. However, these weren’t depicted on celluloid as movies are anticipated to be ‘entertaining’ versus ‘disturbing’ in latest occasions. If we glance again, even the mainstream Hindi cinema of the 1960s and ’70s handled socially related issues. Filmmakers like Bimal Roy made Sujata, Satyajit Ray made Sadgati, Yash Chopra’s Gehra Daag, Shyam Benegal’s Ankur.
Now that the OTT platforms have opened gates to non-mainstream content material, extra movies on issues of caste can get monetary backing supplied the filmmakers want to narrate these tales. Since I’ve not seen the film but, I sincerely hope that the remedy of the film will probably be commensurate with the script. If the real angst of the victims doesn’t remodel on the display screen, the film will sadly fail its goal.
Amol Palekar in 200 Halla Ho
Rinku made her debut with the Marathi film Sairat — a love story set in opposition to the backdrop of the caste-based mostly divide. She has claimed that regional cinema has all the time been on the forefront whereas portraying the social evils compared to Hindi cinema. Do you agree?
Palekar: “Regional cinema has all the time made vital contributions whereas bringing out sociopolitical evils. Such movies in Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, Odiya, Assamese are significantly quite a lot of efforts in Hindi.
Consistent strain on Bollywood to be ‘entertainers’ whereas avoiding topics that will induce ‘thinking’, has precipitated churning out senseless content material. Wish to be a member of a ‘hundred crore & more’ membership appears to be mutually unique with creating good cinema.”
Caste is the underlying fact of our socio-cultural-political actuality. The divide on account of caste is so huge that the extent of injury is conveniently ignored. Art, cinema should ooze out our fractured sensibilities, but it surely doesn’t. Unlike poetry, art has performed a much less vital function within the Dalit motion. Why classical art varieties comparable to music are bereft of decrease caste participation – isn’t it due to their systematic exclusion? Why nobody challenges the Brahminical aesthetics which has dominated us over centuries – is it as a result of the higher caste is in majority? No one needs to put money into the depiction of a disturbing actuality. There is all the time a conspicuous silence on the issues of social rejects. 200 Halla Ho not merely initiatives the violence in opposition to Dalit girls, however celebrates their revolt – therefore I selected to be part of that celebration.
200 Halla Ho is streaming on ZEE5.
