Zee5 Global’s ‘200- Halla Ho’ tells: Dalit lives matter too!

South Asian content provider’s original film touches the sensitive subject of treatment of Dalits, women in India

While films and content about women’s rights and treatment has been a subject that has been often depicted, Dalit women’s rights is something that has not very often been tackled upon in mainstream entertainment.

A recent film released by South Asian content provider Zee5 Global raises some uncomfortable questions about Indian society and the treatment of women.

Premiered on Aug. 20, ‘200 – Halla Ho’, is a story about how 200 Dalit women united and took law and justice in their own hands and lynched a gangster, robber and serial rapist in open court.

Read: Malayalam film ‘Paka’ (River of Blood) to premiere at TIFF (August 4, 2021)

Inspired by true events, the movie goes on to uncover the shocking events and circumstances which led the 200 women to take such a drastic step to seek justice. The frightful yet gripping trailer is already getting attention for the sensitive subject it dares to tackle.

“This is not a film for me, but a shoulder that I give to the movement towards social equality,” says writer & director Sarthak Dasgupta, “I need to convey to the audience that women should be treated equally and that Dalit lives matter too!”

“This film is about those Dalit women who despite getting socially marginalized, molested, tortured and mortified, had to take law into their own hands to punish the person who was responsible for ruining their lives,” he says.

“It addresses the debate whether they were right or they were wrong. I hope this film will add a voice to the social change that is so needed in society,” adds Dasgupta.

It may be significant to see this kind of brave content especially catered towards the diaspora in the West where subjects like these may not be a mainstream discussion.

Read: ‘200 – Halla Ho’ says that Dalit lives matter too: Director Sarthak Dasgupta (August 6, 2021)

The film also marks the comeback of renowned actor Amol Palekar to the movies after almost a decade.

Besides Palekar, ‘200 – Halla Ho’, stars Barun Sobti, Rinku Rajguru, Sahil Khattar, Saloni Batra, Indraneil Sengupta, and Upendra Limaye.