Halla Bol / Yes, we can!

A still from the first episode that dealt with eve-teasing

Cast: Episodic, Bindass, Friday, 7 pm

The harassment and abuse faced by women and young girls has brought much disgrace to this country. Be it in metropolitian cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai or a rural village in Haryana; the cries of victims have reached its peak, but still, there is no respite. Open the newspaper or tune into a newschannel and you will find atleast one such incident being highlighted in the media almost everyday. A report released after the Delhi rape case of 2012 stated that on an average, one woman suffers sexual abuse or harassment in every 20 minutes, in some corner of the country. While the court proceedings of such incidents carry on, the fear lives on and the victims continue to live under depression, while some lose their lives.
To build a sense of awareness and let people know about the ground realities of such problems, several shows have been launched in the past one year which show visual representations of real stories. Bindass has also launched a new show dedicated to the issues faced by women on the eve of International Women’s Day. Titled Halla Bol, the show is an one hour episodic, which deals with a women’s issue every week. The main aim of this show is to encourage women to stand up and take a stand against the people who have caused them harm. The road may not be easy, but bringing the ghastly incident out is definitely better than accusing yourself for the incident.
The initial episodes of the show have dealt with two problems with maximum cases in this country, eve teasing and child abuse. The lead protagonist in the first episode, Esha, is a young girl from Faridabad who aspires to become a fashion designer. Her only mode of transport for daily commute to college are the private buses, which turns into a horror hell for her as she faces the wrath of eve teasers everyday, along with two other girls. While Esha’s dreams take a turn for the worse when the two men attack and almost strip her after a small altercation, the lead protagonist in the second episode, Arti, lives under the constant fear of her uncle coming back from America. Arti is a victim of child abuse and it is this very uncle who had ruined her childhood.
While major portions of both the episodes show the trauma that these girls go through, especially while facing their parents and approaching people for help, the climax shows their rise, as they stand up against everyone and teach their tormentors a lesson. Towards the end of every episode, an actress comes forward and talks about someone in their life who has gone through a similar incident and how girls should deal with it. Kangana Ranaut spoke very well in the first episode, as she discussed the nightmare that her sister, Rangoli, had to go through after the acid attack. Ranaut spoke very little, but her words certainly left an impact.
As a show, the choice of cast in each episode was perfect. The visual representation wasn’t too fake and the actors have delivered a decent, emotionally controlled performance. Host Karan Tacker is also good as the narrator. But what really stands out is the step taken by Bindass to create awareness about such problems. Some may choose to ignore it saying it is just a television show, but sometimes, all you need is a small spark to build up a fire against such horrific incidents.

Verdict: A must watch for all those who underestimate girl power!