DD - BBC – NACO PARTNERSHIP
Doordarshan in collaboration with the BBC World Service Trust (BBCWST)and National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) has launched a campaign on HIV/AIDS epidemic on the National Network. The campaign began in July 2002 and focuses on creating awareness about HIV/AIDS and its prevention.
The campaign includes public service advertisement (spots), production and telecast of a detective drama serial “Jasoos Vijay” and a Youth television show “ Hath Se Hath Milaa”.
Doordarshan provides media consultancy, Producers for public service spots and airtime for the spots. NACO gives technical guidance and sponsor the serials, whereas BBC bears the production costs. Financial benefits of commercial sponsorship from the serial goes to Doordarshan and the rights to software are shared by the three partners.
The serial “Jasoos Vijay” has won the Indian Telly Award in the category of “ best thriller of the year” for the year 2003. Similarly, the youth show “ Haath Se Haath Mila” has won the CBA (Commonwealth Broadcasting Association), 2003.
The successful partnership was extended further. The second phase of popular serial Jasoos Vijay was telecast from Doordarshan’s National Channel from December 2003 whereas “Haath se Haath Mila” was telecast from January 2004. Each serial has 25 episodes.
Currently both programmes are running successfully in third phase.
Jasoos Vijay
Jasoos Vijay is a detective drama serial produced in New Delhi and on location in rural India and transmitted in weekly episodes on DD National at 9 p.m. on Sunday nights.
Although conceived specifically as a vehicle for disseminating information and raising awareness on HIV/AIDS, Jasoos Vijay addresses a broad range of issues within an entertaining and interactive drama format.
Besides HIV/AIDS, quack doctors, superstitions, gender inequality and violence against women (domestic violence, rape, the practice of dowry) are some of the issues broadly taken by the series. The stories are filmed mainly in rural settings keeping in view the target audience who reside in rural India and depend wholly on Doordarshan for entertainment and information.
Vijay is not a slick urban detective but a man who primarily comes to the aid of the disadvantaged living in the places where help is not easily on hand. Within the drama and for the viewing audience, Vijay has become an icon – they admire, respect and trust him and therefore follow his valuable advice. In the course of the series, a major “twist” revealed that the handsome, sensitive hero, Jasoos Vijay, is himself a person living with HIV. Research has shown that the audience readily accepted this revelation and the character would continue to make a major contribution to combating stigma towards HIV positive people.
The interactive element of the series centers on the regular “host” of the show, Om Puri, who encourages the audience to discuss the plot and its solution and to send letters or e-mails to him. Postal responses to the last series numbered over 30,000 and every one received a reply and information leaflet about HIV/AIDS, domestic violence and drug abuse. A competition element allows the viewer to compete for simple prizes and the chance to appear in special episodes talking with Om Puri.
HAATH SE HAATH MILA
Produced by the BBC World Service Trust in partnership with the National AIDS Control Organization and Doordarshan, is seen by millions of viewers across India.
The first phase of Haath Se Haath Milaa (Let’s Join Hands) offered young people the journey of the lifetime, on board two special buses that zoomed around northern India. Kitted out with beds and bathrooms, a boys’ bus and girls’ bus served home to four young humsafars (fellow travelleres) for a week at a time.
The series followed life on the bus, as the humsafars travelled form city to town to village. Along the way they discovered things that would help them live their lives, in a series of entertaining challenges. They had learnt everything from relationships to careers, from HIV/AIDS to making friends and influencing people.
In its first run of 40 episodes on DD-I, Haath Se Haath Milaa traveled a distance of over 11,500 kilometers to join together the hands of 80 young people across North India in one unbroken human chain.
The programme is now running successfully in its third phase. The third phase has been conceptualized differently.
In the third phase, Haath Se Haath Milaa is designed as the most ambitious attempt ever, to harness for HIV/AIDS awareness, the power of India’s two most powerful media platforms - Doordarshan and Bollywood. The theme is ‘Haath Se Haath Milaa’ with your favourite film star!
“The whole idea about Haath Se Haath Milaa is to touch people’s lives. This is an inspiring programme, which will help younger men and women become more aware about HIV/AIDS, and will tackle the tremendous issues of stigma and discrimination”, says Anu Malhotra, the Creative Head of the series and the deviser of its new and exciting format.
In each story, HSHM brings together a top Bollywood Star and a Yuva Star – a young achiever whose work revolves around raising HIV/AIDS awareness. The HIV messaging in the show is organic to the story of the Yuva Star, which makes it highly impactful and effective. Over the course of 3 episodes, HSHM tells the story of each Yuva Star: their work, struggles and aspirations.
In every episode, the series anchors present a “face-off” between the Yuva Star and the film star – and they get to meet and share stories and experiences and set each other challenges.The viewer is informed, entertained and inspired by this to-and-fro interaction which includes interviews, challenges, HIV/AIDS related activities, and film clips and songs, which are woven seamlessly into the strong story telling narrative.
The compelling factor in the series is the inclusion of top Bollywood Stars, who are icons and idols to millions. Shilpa Shetty, one of the stars who have participated in an HSHM story, says, “Meeting Shanthi was a very touching experience. Here was a mother of two, who had contracted HIV from her husband, and yet she loved her husband so much and she has such a joie de vivre for life. It is a project I am very happy to be a part of”.
Viveik Oberoi, Dia Mirza, Raveena Tandon, Tabu, Anupam Kher, Fardeen Khan and Jaaved Jaffery have also filmed for the reality-style series. Says Film Star Viveik Oberoi about his Yuva Star Stanzin Dawa, “I may be the star of the film Yuva, but it is Stanzin Dawa who is the real life Yuva Star because of the work that he is doing for society.”
Haath Se Haath Milaa is not just a television show; it is a huge communications project with a mission to spread HIV/AIDS awareness, creating contributory links between various media and entertainment platforms.