ITV

Tag: Sneha Mathur

  • Which Indian show has 400m viewers across 50 countries?

    MUMBAI: It is the actual subject of the story and its treatment which attracts the viewers and not the platform on which it’s being aired or the marketing strategy or the dramatics. This has been proven, time and again. “Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon” on Doordarshan’s which deals with current issues impacting the society such as sex-selective abortions and acid attacks has over 400 million viewers across 50 countries and has been aired across 240 radio channels and over the internet.

    It has beaten favourite and most popular cult shows on HBO and Netflix as well as current favourite Indian prime-time channels. The soap opera has been showcasing women-centric issues — from menstruation to domestic violence to, and from acid attacks to child marriage.

    Having given shows such as ‘Shanti’ and ‘Swabhimaan’, Doordarshan even today upholds the best form of progressive ideology in terms of making TV soaps.

    The record daily soap that talks about prevalent issues such as the high incidence of abortion of female foetuses and acid attacks is on the way to become the world’s most watched show. “Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon” has been dubbed into 14 languages and its third season is in the development stage. The show has been endorsed by Shabana Azmi, Sharmila Tagore, Farhan Akhtar and Soha Ali Khan.

    The show traces the journey of a young female doctor named as Sneha Mathur (which is being played by Meinal Vaishnav), who quits her well-paying metro job to work in her village. The show, produced by Population Foundation of India and Bombay Local Pictures, is being directed by Firoz Abbas Khan, who is a well-known theatre director known for his work such as ‘Mahatma vs. Gandhi’ and ‘Tumhari Amrita.’

    Population Foundation of India executive director Poonam Muttreja told the Guardian that the massive reach of the radio and TV series was unexpected. About their hotline established for viewers’ feedback three years ago, Muttreja said that on the first day they got 7,000 calls — which was 30 times of their expectation.

    Since its launch, back in 2014, the TV series has completed two successful seasons with over 170 episodes. The foundation even conducted surveys across 3,200 men and women in villages, before and after the show aired to record whether or not the series had impacted positive change in its viewers, Muttreja revealed.

    In the show, Mathur returns to her village after her sister, who is forced into a late-term abortion dies during the procedure. Mathur’s other sister becomes a victim of acid-attack after she joins a mixed-gender football team.

    Muttreja told Thomson Reuters Foundation that there had been so many stories from villages across India of how attitudes changed as a result of watching the programme. She narrated an instance of a slew of villages where men decided against beating up their wives; and a girl who decided to fight her village in order to go to college—all, after watching this show.

    The show is being applauded across the globe for doing what some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry have not managed to do.

  • Farhan Akhtar helps DD series on women empowerment reach out on digital platforms

    Farhan Akhtar helps DD series on women empowerment reach out on digital platforms

    NEW DELHI: Actor Farhan Akhtar, who is UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador, has come on the Doordarshan seriesMain Kuchh Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon as the narrator to help address regressive practices such as sex selection, early marriage, early and repeated pregnancies, under-nutrition of girls, domestic violence and gender inequality prevalent in the country.

     

    The programme was conceptualised and initiated by the Population Foundation of India and is telecast every Saturday and Sunday at 7.30 pm on DD National.

     

    Starring actress Meinal Vaisnav in the lead role of Dr Sneha Mathur, the series has been written and directed by renowned theatre and film director Feroz Abbas Khan and is currently into its second season.

     

    Using a 360 degree communication approach, it has reached out to intended audiences through television, radio, mobile, social media and an intensive outreach strategy for Bihar and Madhya Pradesh to enhance knowledge, change perceptions and shift attitudes on these social issues, over the last two years.

     

    The initiative has innovatively used the digital medium to educate communities and initiate discussions. It has already been endorsed by numerous celebrities, eminent policymakers and corporate leaders.

     

    Every Media Technologies is helping the Population Foundation of India with the social media campaigns for this initiative. 

     

    Every Media Technologies CEO Gautam B. Thakker said, “The show is a pioneer in TV edutainment and our aim is to impact minds and bring about behavioural change. With fresh and creative campaign ideas, we have cut through the numerous conversations that happen online. It has been a great experience to be associated with a show like this and we thank PFI for the opportunity.”

     

    Foundation executive director Poonam Muttreja added, “The show aims to highlight and educate the audience about various dilemmas that women face on regular basis. The digital space today is the most effective way to educate and garner support for the causes the show highlights. The social media team has brilliantly translated the strong messages of the show for the online space, and the social media campaigns have managed to achieve the right effect.”

     

    Focussed on enhancing knowledge, changing perceptions and attitudes on women’s empowerment and the social determinants of maternal, reproductive and sexual health, Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon has been able to bring about a measurable impact on knowledge and perception of viewers on issues like age at marriage, importance of family planning, sex determination and domestic violence, among others.

     

    The most popular social media campaign was about age at marriage, which showcased a series of impactful posters in a bid to sensitise the audience, and reached 1,42,000 users on Twitter. Another campaign (#IPledgeNow) urging people to commit to fight evils like drug abuse, sexual harassment and domestic violence among others, attracted 7,100 Facebook users.

     

    Among the ongoing social media campaigns by the initiative (in partnership with MARD) is the campaign called Desh ko badalna hai toh mard ko badalna hoga (#AsliMard), which urges men to create a woman-friendly world.