| Hellaro | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Directed by | Abhishek Shah |
| Screenplay by | Abhishek Shah Prateek Gupta Saumya Joshi (Dialogues & Lyrics) |
| Story by | Abhishek Shah |
| Produced by | Ashish Patel Nirav Patel Aayush Patel Abhishek Shah Mit Jani Prateek Gupta |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Tribhuvan Babu Sadineni |
| Edited by | Prateek Gupta |
| Music by | Mehul Surti |
Production company | Harfanmaula Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 121 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Gujarati |
| Budget | est. ₹2.5 crore (US$290,000) |
| Box office | ₹16 crore (US$1.8 million)[1] |
Hellaro (transl. The Outburst) is a 2019 IndianGujaratiperiod drama film co-written and directed byAbhishek Shah and produced by Ashish Patel, Nirav Patel, Aayush Patel, Prateek Gupta, Mit Jani and Abhishek Shah under the banner of Saarthi Productions and Harfanmaula films. The film having ensemble cast of Jayesh More,Shraddha Dangar, Brinda Trivedi Nayak, Shachi Joshi,Niilam Paanchal, Tejal Panchasara and Kausambi Bhatt, marks the directorial debut of Abhishek Shah. The film revolves around a group of women living in theRann of Kutch in the 1970s.
Hellaro won theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film at the66th National Film Awards.[2] It was officially selected as the opening film at Indian Panorama, at50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).[3] It was also nominated for the best debut feature film of a director at the film festival.[4][5] The film was released in theatres in India on 8 November 2019 to positive reviews.
In 1975, a young girl named Manjhri is married off to a small village in the middle of nowhere in theRann of Kutch. There has been no rain in the village for many years. The villagers believe it is a curse of the goddess because of a widow rup who was an embroider and tried to earn money and escaped with another villager. As an apology the men present a Gujarati folkdance garba to impress the goddess, but the women are not allowed to play garba. Every morning the women of the village go to a distant lake to fetch water, this is the only time when they are not suppressed but free. One day they come across an unconscious drummer and help him. In return, he plays his dhol and the women play garba for the first time. Since then, every day they fetch water and play garba. After some time the women convince him to ask the mukhya of their village for shelter and play dhol for navrati. Every day he plays garba for the women at the day and for the men at night. One day the women are caught playing garba and are beaten as a punishment. On the same night the women play garba in the village and it rains.[6]
The debut director and co-writer Abhishek Shah stated that the story was inspired from folklore of the Vrajvani village in Kutch and real-life instances ofpatriarchy.[8][9] Prateek Gupta co-wrote screenplay, edited, and co-produced the film while also serving as the Associate Director. Playwright and poetSaumya Joshi wrote lyrics, additional screenplay, and dialogues.Mehul Surti composed the music.[7] Ashish Patel, Nirav Patel, Aayush Patel, Abhishek Shah, Mit Jani, and Prateek Gupta produced the film under the banner of Saarthi Productions and Harfanmaula films. Aayush Patel and Mit Jani helmed as creative and executive producers.[10]
A set of village with fifteen Bhunga (traditional houses), a town square and a temple was created inRann of Kutch near Kuran village where the film was shot.[11]
| Hellaro | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |||||
| Released | 18 October 2019 (2019-10-18)[12] | ||||
| Recorded | 2018 | ||||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 18:44 | ||||
| Language | Gujarati | ||||
| Label | Saarthi Productions LLP | ||||
| |||||
All lyrics are written bySaumya Joshi; all music is composed by Mehul Surti
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Asvaar" | Aishwarya Majmudar,Mooralala Marwada | 4:03 |
| 2. | "Haiyaa" | Shruti Pathak,Aditya Gadhvi (Backing vocals) | 5:01 |
| 3. | "Sapna Vinani Raat" | Aditya Gadhvi | 5:30 |
| 4. | "Vaagyo Re Dhol" | Bhoomi Trivedi | 4:10 |
| Total length: | 18:44 | ||
It was released in theatres on 8 November 2019.[6][7][13] The film was released onvideo on demand service,MX Player on 4 April 2020.[14]
The film was universally acclaimed by the critics. Abhimanyu Joshi ofThe Times of India rated it 4 out of 5. He praised the film's direction, story, screenplay, acting, cinematography, music, and choreography, further stating that the film justly deserves the National Award it received and fulfills expectations.[15] Namrata Joshi writing forThe Hindu praised the story, direction, production, and cinematography. She further added that the film "questionspatriarchy while celebrating the colours and culture of Gujarat".[16] Jigar Ganatra of Mumbai Live called it "masterpiece" and rated 4.5 out of 5.[17]Parsi Times rated it 3.5 out of 5.[18] Delnaz Divecha writing for BookMyShow noted that the film's presentation of the subjects ofpatriarchy,casteism, andsuperstition connects the audience, and further praised the film's performances and choreography. She also pointed that "some customs may seem outdated but still happen to be the reality of many rural women".[19] Jinal Bhatt of Mashable India rated it 4.5 out of 5.[20]
Ramesh Tanna ofKutchmitra praised the film for its direction, acting, and cinematography, calling it a "must-watch" but criticised the false subject of opposition togarba andembroidery work, some characterisations, and the lack ofKutchi language in a film set in Kutch. He also questioned the relevance of the film's subject in contemporary times and pointed to the inaccurate representation of Kutch's local culture and the 1970s.[9]
The film had grossed over₹15 crore (US$1.7 million) in the box office.[1][21] The film had grossed over $1,41,304 (₹1 crore) in overseas market.[22][23]
A police complaint underAtrocities Act was filed against the film's producer, director, and writer for use of termHarijan in the film's dialogue. According to the complaint Jamnaben Vegda, the term is considered derogatory by theScheduled Caste people.[24]
Hellaro was selected as the opening film at the Indian Panorama during the 50thInternational Film Festival of India (IFFI), held in November 2019 inGoa,[25][20] where it won a special mention from jury for its "incredible music, colour and choreography."[26] It is also nominated for the best debut feature film of a director at the film festival.[4][5] It was also screened at the 19th River-to-River Florence Indian Film Festival held in Italy in December 2019. Apart from this Hellaro premiered at numerous Film Festivals like Dhaka International Film Festive 2020, International Film Festival of Bhuvneshwar 2020, and Aurangabad International Film Festival 2020.
Hellaro won theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film at the66th National Film Awards. The thirteen female actresses also won the Special Jury Award for their performances. It was the first Gujarati film to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film.[6][7]
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 66th National Film Awards[27] | Best Feature Film | Producer: Saarthi Productions LLP Director: Abhishek Shah | Won |
| Special Jury Award | Shraddha Dangar, Shachi Joshi,Denisha Ghumra, Neelam Paanchal, Tarjanee Bhadla, Brinda Nayak, Tejal Panchasara,Kaushambi Bhatt, Ekta Bachwani, Kamini Panchal, Jagruti Thakore, Riddhi Yadav, and Prapti Mehta | Won | |
| FIPRESCI India Grand Prix 2019 | Best Feature Film | Hellaro | Won |
| Critics Choice Film Awards 2020[28] | Best Film (Gujarati) | Hellaro | Won |
| Best Actor (Gujarati) | Jayesh More | Won | |
| Best Actress (Gujarati) | Shraddha Dangar | Nominated | |
| Best Director (Gujarati) | Abhishek Shah | Won | |
| Best Writing (Gujarati) | Abhishek Shah, Prateek Gupta, Saumya Joshi | Won | |
| IFFI Goa 2019 | Special Mention | Hellaro | Won |
| 19th River to River Florence Indian Film Festival, Italy | Audience Choice Best Film | Hellaro | Won |
| 6th Rajasthan International Film Festival (RIFF) | Best Director (Regional Film) | Abhishek Shah | Won |
