The cast of the critically acclaimed JioHotstar series 'Hunkkaar: The Roar', including Raghubir Yadav, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Zoya Hussain, share their hopes that the show will ignite public discourse and action against the pervasive issue of sexual assault and victim-shaming.
Key Points
- The JioHotstar series 'Hunkkaar: The Roar' focuses on a 17-year-old accusing a famous godman of sexual assault, highlighting victim-shaming.
- Fatima Sana Shaikh, playing a cop, emphasises the show's role in raising awareness about crimes against women and inspiring action.
- Raghubir Yadav hopes 'Hunkkaar' will not just mirror society but actively knock on its collective conscience to bring about change.
- Zoya Hussain notes the unfortunate commonality of the show's subject and hopes it empowers those who wish to speak out.
- The cast believes the show's purpose is fulfilled if even one person is inspired to raise their voice against sexual assault.
Even if one person who watches "Hunkkaar: The Roar" and raises his or her voice against growing cases of sexual assault of women and young girls, the purpose of the show is fulfilled, believe actors Raghubir Yadav, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Zoya Hussain, who play prominent roles in the critically acclaimed show.
The JioHotstar series revolves around a 17-year-old (Aneet Padda) who accuses a famous godman, Baapji (Yadav), of sexual assault, sparking a media storm and police investigation. She is slut-shamed for taking on a revered public figure.
Hunkkaar: Addressing Sexual Assault Through Storytelling
Shaikh, who plays a cop investigating the case, said reading about stories of crime against women fills her with anger.
"It is a story that has been in the news recently, actually it has been there for years. There are many more such stories about girls as young as 15 and 17 are facing such trauma."
As actors, she said, the least they can do is try to raise their voice through their work. Citing the case in Jamui (Bihar) where a young girl was molested while returning from coaching classes with her friend, Shaikh said the young boy who accompanied her stood up to the molesters.
"So, if by watching our show, even one boy realises that this is wrong, then that will also be a big thing. It is not just one girl's story, it cuts across all classes, all genders."
Cast Members Advocate for Social Change
Yadav said his hope with shows like "Hunkkaar" is that they knock on the collective conscience of the society and not simply act as a mirror.
"Actually, even when we get angry, we want to know the result of that anger... What we show is that the anger is inside you and you have to correctly use this anger to make things right," he said.
Hussain, who plays a disciple to Yadav's character of Baapji, said unfortunately the subject of their show has become very common.
"I hope that through our show, the people who want to speak out, they will get a little bit of strength somewhere... Anytime there is victim-shaming, it makes you angry. How to deal with it now? I think whether in society or individually, you also get frustrated that how do you change this? How do you support somebody when you hear it in the news? What do you do about it? Anger comes from this. We are all trying to figure out what to do about this," she said.
"Hunkkaar" is directed by Karan D Kapadia, Nitya Mehra, and Heeraz Marfatia.
