Red Lotus Events CIC is proud to announce the sole distributor of releasing National Award-winning Gujarati film, Hellaro in the UK.
Filme Shilmy is also proud to announce being the media partner for the movie’s British release.
There will only be limited screenings in London and Leicester, for which the dates and times will be revealed soon.
Set in 1975, Hellaro begins with a young Manjhri (Shraddha Dangar) being married off in a small village in the Rann of Kutch.
There, she meets women shackled by the chains of patriarchy.
Their only escape from the torture is when they go to fetch water from a distant waterbody.
One day, a chance encounter with someone in the middle of the desert turns their world upside down.
The journey of these women who are silenced into submission is sure to move hearts.
Through an enriched cinematic experience, Hellaro also aims to tackle issues such as inequality and patriarchy, as well as the pertinent issue of casteism.Â
Abhishek Shah, in his directorial debut, writing and directing plays for the past 19 years, since the age of 18.
His credentials also extend to being a casting director on acclaimed movies like Bey Yaar and Chhello Divas and Wrong Side Raju.
He speaks to the media about what motivated him to makes such a film:
“It was the cinema that attracted me [about this story], that this needs to be portrayed on the big screen.
When I started to write the story, I was very clear about everything.
I could see the first time the women would meet the dholi [drummer], how the first garba would be, the second garba, and how they would eventually be caught.
That visualisation was growing very powerful.
“I’m very lucky that I got a story as a writer and director that guided me from inside.
When we went on the floors, I was very confident because I had worked hard on the script.
We had prepared the actors so much that I told them that I didn’t even want one word to be changed.
And my screenplay, if you read it and if you watch the film, you will see that there is no change in it, front to back. It was that precise.”
More than 450 costumes were prepared to give the traditional feel of life at Kutch and the shoot of the film lasted for 35 days in the scorching summer heat of Kutch’s desert.
In addition to Shraddha Dangar, the principal cast consists of 13 female actors including:
Shachi Joshi, Denisha Ghumra, Neelam Paanchal, Tarjani Bhadla, Brinda Nayak, Tejal Panchasara, Kaushambi Bhatt, Ekta Bachwani, Kamini Panchal, Jagruti Thakore, Riddhi Yadav and young Prapti Mehta.
They all received a Special Mention by the jury at the National awards in August, whilst the movie itself won ‘Best Feature Film’.
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Watch the Hellaro Trailer:
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