Hellaro

In the Award winning Gujarati film Hellaro (2019) Mulji, portrayed by Jayesh More, is a Dalit dholi (traditional drum player) whose unexpected arrival in the village of Samarpur becomes the catalyst for a quiet yet powerful revolution among its oppressed women. Haunted by a tragic past marked by caste-based violence, the loss of his wife, and the disappearance of his daughter, Mulji carries within him a profound sorrow and trauma. He communicates this grief not through words, but through rhythm—his dhol becoming both a vessel of memory and an act of resistance.

Although the film does not explicitly depict hallucinations, there is a deeply emotional moment near the climax where Mulji reveals the depth of his inner world. In one poignant scene, he recalls his missing daughter and says, “Naach Reva, Have Tari Vaari”-"Dance, Reva, now it's your turn." This line is not just a remembrance, but an imagined offering—a space where his daughter, like the women before him, can finally move freely, unshackled by caste or gender.

In that moment, Mulji turns inward, conjuring an image of his daughter dancing to the same rhythm that has liberated the women around him. It is a private vision that reflects both longing and healing. Through this imagined reunion, his personal pain merges with the collective hope of the women—his music becoming the bridge between memory, mourning, and liberation.