Hellaro – Helluva Movie Mate!

Jignesh Vasavada

4.5 Stars

 

Story of 13 women rising up against circumstances, societal evils and their love of Garba as an expression of freedom (guess, a true-blue Gujarati movie).

There are times in the life of a movie reviewer (I am not a critic) when loss of words is a real possibility. Times when the product or the presentation so overpowers you that you end up forgetting to note. Objectivity takes a back seat and you tend to go with the flow.

One such human moment happened with me last night as I finished watching the much-hyped-much-publicized and much-national-award-among-all-language-movies marketed movie, Hellaro. I actually noted only few basic observations as I let my senses overpower me.

Nope, no major Observations here, more so because the review was always a substitute for the lack of entertainment in the product. I didn’t even notice that popcorn came to me late or that the noted Gujarati director had to ask for them to serve me even as the purser conveniently forgot (I am truly blessed). Not to mention delayed starts or that the filmy folk who are not in the movie dressing up much better than the stars themselves.

But today is not about these inconsequential, there is much to note and write, hence I intend to dive straight in. 

Is Hellaro the most perfect Gujarati movie ever? Of course not.

Is this the best Gujarati movie ever? I dare say, not.

Is this among the most flawless movies in recent times? You could say so.

Is this a movie that deserved the coveted National Award, hence should we watch it, heck, I am no jury, yes, the movie is very good. Period.

Put to rest all your doubts and allow yourself to be transported to 1975 in a small parched village in Kutch desperately awaiting rains (yes, this is before the Narmada Canal days when there was not even hope!!!). A typical male dominated society, like then and now, Hellaro is a folklore of brave village women mustering courage to not only stand up against societal evils but to showcase their love for Garba, here, an expression of freedom and rights.

 Any more and I am spilling the beans. Yes, the story is about this much only. But just like most things in life, there are twists and turns, invocations and emotions that take you on a wonderful journey replete with fun, humour, dance, fights, hatred, love and loads of memorable liners.

 Hellaro is a multi-starrer in a unique way. The hero, fighting for the top spot, is the music. Mehul Surti, (the much acclaimed Mozart of Gujarat) revels in this brilliant rendition of folk flavor interspersed with a touch of the modern. The music drives you all along, helping you define emotions and journeys along giving you fantastic highs and lows.

 A close second is the Cinematography & Choreography. Tribhuvan Babu Sadineni, a veteran of Wrong Side Raju, Ragini MMS & Emotional Atyachar had a brilliant canvas in the form of the Rann of Kutch. And he captures it like a painting. Every frame, composition is a complete painting captivating you in its full glory.

 The choreographers Arsh & Sameer Tanna kept the emotions so well defined with their moves that the listener actually got involved. Each emotion had a different step. I can bet there was not a single feet that was not tapping with the beat.

Next comes Dialogues from the Pitamaah of theatre, Saumya Joshi. He gets it right all the time and gets applauded more than once, a rarity on the big screen. Some gems, delivered by the lead actress shows the maturity of writing and lends a lot of depth into the character.

Everything else can be bundled into the next few. Editing by Prateek Gupta, yet another stalwart from Goonga Pehlwan to Love ni Bhavai, keeps us on the edge with his tight craft. The brilliant climax is full credits to screenplay and editing giving us a lump in the throat moment.

In the acting department, people would jump to praise the thirteen National Award winning Heroines, I would stray a bit and begin with Maulik Nayak who lightens up the screen with a flawless performance. His portrayal is so strong, easy, un-noticeable yet he leaves a strong impression in his role. The Pack of leading ladies led by Shraddha Dangar, Denisha, Kaushambi and others get their fair share of screen and opportunity and they make the most of it.

Aarjav is under-utilized so is Jayesh More. While he is the face of the movie, Jayesh did not seem to have a lot of opportunities to show case his talent. Also, the role of Jayesh's daughter Reva could have been done by someone more talented. 

 

All in all, Abhishek Shah (who seems to be present in every department of film-making) needs to take a Bow. You made a classic which has lifted the benchmark for Gujarati Movies and Film-makers. A big thank you for the entertainment.

Hellaro, sooner or later you will have to watch it, why not sooner.