Zoya is the wife of an abusive husband. She is a minority in a climate of religious persecution. She is a woman in a patriarchal society. She is a Mother to a child she regrets not being able to protect. And then she is sought out for help by another victim of abuse. While they are divided by class, they are united by spirit and their quest for freedom.
Riha (Unlocked) is a self-produced debut short by self-taught Director Arastu Zakia. The film is a tribute to his Mother - the lady who rescued him from domestic violence and went on to lead the movement that brought the ban on Triple Talaq in India (unilateral oral divorce). Her journey has been covered extensively in The Guardian, The Washington Post, The New York Times, TEDx and so on.
- Year2023
- Runtime30 minutes
- LanguageEnglish, Hindi
- CountryIndia
- PremiereNorth America Premiere
- GenreDrama, human rights, gender, social issues, current affairs
- NoteExecutive Producers: Umang Ratilal Sangani, Sidharth Meer; Co-Producers: Mauli Singh, Insynq Production; Cinematography: Dhrupad Shukla; Editor: Ajay Yadav; Sound Design: Mohit Shankar; Colour: Prithvi Buddhavarappu; Music: Sandesh Shandilya; Production Design: Sheel Thakore; Costume Design: Niki Joshi
- DirectorArastu Zakia
- ScreenwriterArastu Zakia, Anup Abraham Parackal
- ProducerNoopur Chokshi, Soman Nambiar, Arastu Zakia
- CastIndu Sharma, Ashwath Bhatt, Vara Raturi, Alok Gagdekar, Naved Aslam, Ahad Khan
Zoya is the wife of an abusive husband. She is a minority in a climate of religious persecution. She is a woman in a patriarchal society. She is a Mother to a child she regrets not being able to protect. And then she is sought out for help by another victim of abuse. While they are divided by class, they are united by spirit and their quest for freedom.
Riha (Unlocked) is a self-produced debut short by self-taught Director Arastu Zakia. The film is a tribute to his Mother - the lady who rescued him from domestic violence and went on to lead the movement that brought the ban on Triple Talaq in India (unilateral oral divorce). Her journey has been covered extensively in The Guardian, The Washington Post, The New York Times, TEDx and so on.
- Year2023
- Runtime30 minutes
- LanguageEnglish, Hindi
- CountryIndia
- PremiereNorth America Premiere
- GenreDrama, human rights, gender, social issues, current affairs
- NoteExecutive Producers: Umang Ratilal Sangani, Sidharth Meer; Co-Producers: Mauli Singh, Insynq Production; Cinematography: Dhrupad Shukla; Editor: Ajay Yadav; Sound Design: Mohit Shankar; Colour: Prithvi Buddhavarappu; Music: Sandesh Shandilya; Production Design: Sheel Thakore; Costume Design: Niki Joshi
- DirectorArastu Zakia
- ScreenwriterArastu Zakia, Anup Abraham Parackal
- ProducerNoopur Chokshi, Soman Nambiar, Arastu Zakia
- CastIndu Sharma, Ashwath Bhatt, Vara Raturi, Alok Gagdekar, Naved Aslam, Ahad Khan