Private Project

Unlocked

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.

  • Arastu Zakia
    Director
  • Arastu Zakia
    Writer
  • Anup Abraham Parackal
    Writer
  • Noopur Chokshi
    Producer
  • Soman Nambiar
    Producer
  • Arastu Zakia
    Producer
  • Indu Sharma
    Key Cast
    "Zoya"
    Into Dust, Leila, Scam 1992
  • Ashwath Bhatt
    Key Cast
    "Mirza"
    Raazi, Haider, Mission Majnu
  • Vara Raturi
    Key Cast
    "Ayesha"
    What will people say, Mom
  • Alok Gagdekar
    Key Cast
    "Nayeem"
    Rang De Basanti, Kai Po Che, Bajrangi Bhaijaan
  • Naved Aslam
    Key Cast
    "Mukul"
    Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Byomkesh Bakshi
  • Ahad Khan
    Key Cast
    Runway 34
  • Umang Ratilal Sangani
    Executive Producers
  • Sidharth Meer
    Executive Producers
    The Elephant Whisperers, Masaan, The Lunchbox
  • Mauli Singh
    Co-Producers
    Jonaki, Newton, Masaan, Thithi
  • Insynq Production
    Co-Producers
  • Dhrupad Shukla
    Cinematography
    Li Ej Hu
  • Ajay Yadav
    Editor
    Guilty Minds, Brahmastra, Shivaay
  • Mohit Shankar
    Sound Design
  • Prithvi Buddhavarappu
    Colour
    The Elephant Whisperers, Khufiya
  • Sandesh Shandilya
    Music
    Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Jab We Met
  • Sheel Thakore
    Production Design
    Hellaro, Kutch Express, Vitthal Teedi
  • Niki Joshi
    Costume Design
    Hellaro, Cutting, Union Leader
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Riha
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, human rights, gender, social issues, current affairs
  • Runtime:
    29 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 31, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    English, Hindi
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 2K, 5.1/Stereo, DCP/MOV
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF)
    Dharamshala
    India
    November 9, 2024
    Official selection
  • Bengaluru International Short Film Festival (BISFF)
    Bangalore
    India
    August 17, 2024
    World Premiere
    Official selection
  • Tasveer
    Seattle
    United States
    October 19, 2024
    International Premiere
    Official selection
Director Biography - Arastu Zakia

Arastu grew up within an inner context of domestic violence and an outer context of communal violence in Ahmedabad. He survived largely because of his spirited mother and a television set that gave him a window into the outside world.

At 18, he started a Civic Education NGO supported by the American Embassy, then Founded an Education Technology Startup funded by VCs & Angels across Silicon Valley & India and was later Chief Product Officer at India's largest Education Platform.

Eventually, Arastu wanted to recreate for others the magic of the television set from his childhood and hence moved to the world of filmmaking. Arastu has written a feature & directed a Short Film (‘Riha’) based on his Mother’s life. He is also writing another commissioned Hindi Feature, a Series on the life-story of his Mother and has in the past worked on multiple series, documentaries and shorts.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Growing up as a victim of domestic violence, my only two friends in the World were my Mother and the Television set at home. Broadly speaking, my memory of that time is of my Mother largely being silent, the two of us embracing and crying, the non-verbal communication we made with one another and the constant yearning to just get the hell out of there. When I was 15, my Mother and I finally left. She was then 38 years old, Muslim, now a divorcee, in a communally sensitive and traditional Indian region, without money, without the support of family and with a 15 year old Son to now fend for. All we left with were our clothes and vital documents.

From then on, my Mother Zakia Soman went on to facilitate a 12 year struggle to get the practice of oral, instant, unilateral divorce (Triple Talaq) banned in the Supreme Court of India - a move that impacted millions of women around the Country.

'Riha' is my tribute to my Mother and an attempt to revisit the sense of wonder I felt as a child after sneaking in to the television room to catch a glimpse of the outside world.