iWorld
Hellaro finds its hindi voice and beats the drum for freedom
MUMBAI: Who says revolutions can’t begin with a dhol beat? Shemaroome is striking a powerful chord with the Hindi release of Hellaro, the first-ever Gujarati film to win the National Award for Best Feature Film. By dubbing the landmark film for Hindi-speaking audiences, the platform is turning up the volume on stories that celebrate silent strength and cultural rebellion across borders and beyond language.
Directed by Abhishek Shah, Hellaro isn’t just a period drama set in the scorching salt flats of Kutch, it’s a fiery feminist anthem disguised as a folk tale. The film follows a group of women from a repressive village whose monotonous lives are disrupted when a drummer appears from the desert. What begins as stolen dance sessions away from watchful eyes spirals into a full-blown revolt not with weapons, but with rhythm, resilience, and raw courage.
The ensemble cast including Shraddha Dangar, Kaushambi Bhatt, Niilam Paanchal, and Brinda Trivedi brings an electric energy to the screen. So compelling were their performances that 13 lead actresses received a Special Jury Award, a rare collective honour that underscored the film’s commitment to sisterhood over stardom.
Sharing her thoughts on the film’s Hindi release, actress Shraddha Dangar said, “Hellaro has always been more than just a film, it’s a reflection of unheard voices and untold stories that exist in the quiet corners of our society. Bringing it to life meant building a world from the ground up, both emotionally and physically, in the heart of the desert. Now, with its Hindi release on ShemarooMe, I’m deeply moved that this story can reach a broader audience globally. I hope it stirs something in every viewer questions, courage, and above all, a deeper understanding of what it means to be free.”
More than just a nod to cultural representation, this move by Shemaroome is part of a broader push to bridge the linguistic divide in Indian entertainment. By making powerful regional cinema accessible in Hindi, platforms like ShemarooMe are letting stories dance freely across state lines and into the hearts of millions.
Hellaro is now streaming in both Hindi and Gujarati exclusively on Shemaroome because freedom, like music, should never be lost in translation.
iWorld
Telcos push for unified rules as spam shifts to OTT platforms
Over 80 per cent fraud moves online, operators seek common framework.
MUMBAI: The spam may have left your phone network but it hasn’t left you alone. India’s telecom operators are once again dialling up the pressure for a unified regulatory framework, warning that fraud is rapidly migrating to internet-based platforms where oversight remains far looser. According to industry communication, a leading operator has written to multiple arms of the government including the Department of Telecommunications, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance arguing that tighter controls on traditional telecom networks are inadvertently pushing bad actors towards over-the-top (OTT) communication platforms.
The concern is not new, but the framing has sharpened. What was once an industry grievance is now being positioned as a consumer protection issue. Operators say that tackling spam in silos no longer works, as fraudsters seamlessly shift across platforms, exploiting regulatory gaps. The result: a moving target that traditional safeguards struggle to contain.
Executives point to a clear shift in fraud patterns. OTT platforms are increasingly being used for phishing links, impersonation scams and bulk unsolicited messaging, with industry estimates suggesting that over 80 per cent of spam activity has now migrated online. In this environment, the lines between telecom networks, messaging apps and financial fraud are blurring fast.
At the heart of the industry’s demand is a call for a technology-neutral regulatory framework, one that applies consistently across telecom and internet-based communication services. Operators argue that the absence of uniform safeguards, such as sender verification systems, robust spam filters and clearly defined accountability mechanisms, has created enforcement blind spots that fraudsters are quick to exploit.
The proposal is straightforward but far-reaching. Telcos are pushing for baseline anti-fraud measures across all communication platforms, alongside faster response systems and deeper coordination between ministries. Given the interconnected nature of telecom networks, digital platforms and financial systems, they argue that fragmented oversight only weakens the overall defence.
The broader issue is regulatory arbitrage, the ability of bad actors to hop between platforms based on which is least regulated at any given time. Without harmonised rules, operators say, efforts to curb fraud risk becoming a game of whack-a-mole.
As digital communication continues to expand, the debate is shifting from who regulates what to how consistently it is regulated. For now, telecom operators are making their case clear: in a world where spam travels freely, regulation cannot afford to stay fragmented.
