Farhan Akhtar lends his voice to the popular tele series Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon

Prembabu Sharma​

Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon, one of the country’s most popular edutainment show that revolutionized the Indian soap opera will soon have film director, actor, singer, lyricist and founder of Men Against Rape and Discrimination (MARD), Farhan Akhtar who has committed to supporting the series. This will be the first time that Farhan will be turning a narrator for a television series.

Starting from September 26, 2015, Farhan will feature in the episodes every weekend and encourage audiences to think and act on the important issues of women’s empowerment adolescent health and male involvement and responsibility. The programme encourages action through adolescent groups and self-help groups, quality healthcare in villages and speedy justice for women through community arbitration.

Given the response to the serial Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon is being viewed as an example of how entertainment education can catalyse for change.Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon representing women’s empowerment, and MARD, representing responsible masculinity, came together as Hum Kuch Bhi Kar Sakte Hain to bring in the change that is desired in the Indian society. “I feel proud to be actively associated with the series, given its focus on the youth and strongly believe that men play an equally crucial role in creating a positive environment which is sensitive to the aspirations and needs of women.” said Farhan Akhtar.

Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon challenges deep-rooted social norms like child marriage, early pregnancy and gender-based violence. Season 2 began telecast on April 4, 2015 on Doordarshan and runs every Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 pm. The response received by the series has been phenomenal with several NGOs from various towns sharing their success stories inspired by the protagonist Dr Sneha Mathur.

Season 2 of Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon continues the inspiring journey of Dr Sneha, who represents the young Indian woman of today, who thrive on challenges. It shows the changes that take place in a society when girls come together collectively to form a football team. The series has been written, produced and directed by eminent theatre and film director, Feroz Abbas Khan.

Feroz Abbas Khan said, “It is a pleasure working with Farhan as we share a common passion to work for issues related to women. The response that we have received to the series has been heartening. We are confident that the series will continue to inspire and change more lives and bring about a positive change in the society. Through the turbulent journey of our protagonist Dr Sneha Mathur, supported by a powerful story and compelling characters, the family drama deals with many relevant issues such as violence against girls and women, and adolescent health including nutrition and mental health. We hope to sensitize the audience so that they are motivated to work towards making a difference.”

After the success of Season 1, the second instalment of the series has been amongst the top three serials in its time slot. As per TAM and IRS assessments, Season 1 has been watched by over 58 million viewers. PFI received as many as over six lakh phone calls from people across the country, wanting to engage on the issues the series has raised and to share their own stories. Over one lakh fifty thousand calls were received upto end of August in Season Two. An external evaluation of Season 1 has revealed an overwhelming response, the report for which will be released shortly.

Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director, PFI, said, “Changing social norms and behaviour is certainly not an easy task. The media plays a critical role in reaching out to audiences to challenge existing mindset and practices as we have seen from the messages our viewers have shared with us over the Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS). We have struck a chord with the people across the country. And now, with Farhan Akhtar directly on board, we hope to involve men in a substantive way in improving the lives of our women.”

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