'200 Halla Ho,' loosely based on an incident that had occurred in Nagpur (2004), narrates the story of 200 Dalit women who, in an act of rebellion, lynched a gangster, robber, serial rapist, and a killer in an open court.
In the opening scene, a local gangster, robber, serial rapist, and killer, Balli Chaudhary (Sahil Khattar) is lynched by some 200 Dalit women who, despite being socially marginalised, molested, and tortured had no choice but to take the law into their own hands to punish the person who had ruined their lives. This occurred in broad daylight and in the presence of some police officers, who were also attacked with chilli powder. Senior Inspector Suresh Patil (Upendra Limaye) detained a group of ladies from Rainagar village situated in Nagpur, believing they were the perpetrators of the crime. A Dalit activist, Asha Surve (Rinku Rajguru), speaks out against the arrest and is backed up by lawyer Umesh Joshi (Barun Sobti), who represents the women in court.
Without wasting any time, writer-director Sarthak Dasgupta's film takes us straight to the heart of the Dalit women's plight. It deconstructs any 'caste-blind' average Indian's belief system by bringing to light the atrocities done against the women from so-called 'Dalit' castes, where they have to suffer to fulfill even their basic needs. Additionally, this drama sensitively addresses the subject of rape and how criminals accused of rape and molestation attempt to avoid prosecution by exploiting systemic flaws. The movie deals with the moral dichotomy of their ultimate deed born out of their accumulated rage of decades. Were they right or wrong in doing what they did as the final step against years of oppression?
No one pays attention to them until it becomes a political issue, at which point the Mumbai WRC (Ladies Rights Commission) forms a Fact-Finding Committee (FFC) to piece together the story and give these women a fair trial. This Committee is led by retired celebrity Dalit Judge Vithhal Daangle (Amol Palekar), who is a staunch follower of the law, and includes three other members: a minority cases specialist lawyer, Anwar Shiekh (Pradhuman Singh Mall), Nagpur University Maths Professor and a social worker Abhinav Avsare (Ishtiyak Khan) and a senior investigative journalist, Poorva Sawhney (Saloni Batra), who believes that being on the field and getting actual stories is more important than sitting in an AC office.
The screenplay by Sarthak Dasgupta, Gaurav Sharma, Abhijeet Das and Soumyajit Roy is quite bumpy throughout, especially the scenes of Asha fighting and protesting for her 'bai log' aren't powerful enough. Some dialogues show the triviality with which crimes against women are seen, for instance, when asked what the charges against the gangster were, a police officer casually replies, "Petty molestation and rape cases. Just time-pass." This will definitely leave you with sheer disappointment, not because of the film, but with the situation of women in India. On the other hand, other dialogues and the background score are pretty average. Overall, the film is an uncomfortable watch and makes you squirm when it depicts the country's caste discrimination.
Coming to the performances, Amol Palekar's portrayal of a retired judge and a committee head is convincing. He succeeds in making the audience empathise with his inner anguish, but it feels a little forced at times. Rinku Rajguru (as Dalit female Asha) does well playing a strong-headed female character who fights for women's rights. Her on-screen chemistry with Barun Sobti sparks a debate about the acceptance of intercaste marriages, but they don't connect well with the viewers as a couple. Sobti's portrayal of lawyer Umesh Joshi is quite average; he has given much better performances in the past. Indraneil Sengupta's role as IPS Sameer Deshpande is limited, yet he makes his presence felt. Upendra Limaye is believable as SI Suresh Patil, making you dislike his character. The rest of the cast pitches in to help in pushing the narrative forward.
All said, Vithhal Daangle's closing argument in court - "It's not just these accused who rapes a woman; it's our mindsets that rapes them, it's our numbness towards these heinous crimes that's most disturbing,"-perfectly encapsulates the mindset of some individuals who cause women to suffer. And if you like non-fiction films based on true stories, this drama definitely deserves a watch in order to comprehend the grief and suffering that those women must have endured.
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