On May 27, mid-day reported that several Bollywood stars, including Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar and Sachin Tendulkar, have come together for Dharti Ka Dil, a music video that is supported by the United Nations and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Encouraged by the immense traction that its teaser got, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has chosen the video to lead their campaign on World Environment Day tomorrow.

Environmentalist Asif Bhamla, who organised the initiative through Bhamla Foundation, says, “India’s [entry] will be the main lead campaign that will be [promoted] on the global handles and outreach programmes of the UN and UNEP. Pakistan is the global host for World Environment Day this year. Once it is posted on the UNEP platform, every country will [translate] it in their language. Dia Mirza, Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha joined the campaign after [watching] the teaser.”

Being part of the single was a no-brainer for Pednekar, who champions the green cause. The actor, who opens the video with Kumar, says, “We’ve seen the damage that we’ve caused to our fellow species with whom we share the planet. We must pledge to make the planet a better place to live in.”

New Delhi: Actor Randeep Hooda has been removed as brand ambassador of the Convention for Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, an environment treaty of the United Nations, after a nine-year-old video surfaced in which he is purportedly seen making a ‘joke’ on BSP and former UP CM Mayawati.

His remarks were termed as “casteist” and “sexist” in the social media. The video clip from an event, organised by a media house in 2012, went viral after it was shared on microblogging site Twitter earlier this week.

“The CMS Secretariat finds the comments made in the video to be offensive, and they do not reflect the values of the CMS Secretariat or the United Nations,” said a statement from Convention Secretariat from Bonn, Germany. It said the Secretariat has become aware of a video clip of CMS ambassador Randeep Hooda from around 2012 that was recently posted on social media.

Rattled by the apathy towards domestic violence survivors, Nandita Das makes 7-minute film to encourage them to reach out with help from UNESCO, UNICEF and other UN agencies
Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 26, 2020)

According to a National Commission of Women (NCW) report published mid-April, instances of domestic violence had doubled across India within just three weeks of the countrywide lockdown, which was imposed on March 25.

On April 6, United Nations chief, António Guterres, too, called for measures to address a “horrifying global surge in domestic violence” in the wake of Coronavirus-induced lockdowns around the world. This, after The World Health Organisation predicted that the risk of intimate partner violence is likely to increase with people being encouraged to practice social distancing.

For actor-filmmaker Nandita Das, the alarming statistics spurred a spontaneous response to the irony of the ‘stay home, stay safe’ phrase. She decided to lend her voice to the issue to encourage women to speak up and for us to listen. Enlisting support from UN agencies like UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women and the South Asia Foundation (Madanjeet Singh Foundation), Nandita is all set to release her short film, Listen to Her, across social media platforms today at noon. “It was amazing that UNESCO came on board as a partner and their India head, Eric Falt, went and garnered more support from their sister organisations, like UNICEF, UN Women, UNFPA and South Asia Foundation. I am truly grateful to them as they will use the film to sustain the campaign to break the silence. After all it is a call to action with helplines for women to reach out to,” asserts Nandita, urging survivors to reach out on helpline numbers 181 and 112 for help.

So, what prompted her to make a film in the midst of a crisis? “When we speak of abuse, it is not just physical violence, but also emotional and mental abuse. Even before my masters in social work I was aware of what women were going through. Just because we, as a society, fail to speak about this issue enough, does not mean that it doesn’t exist,” she says, pointing out that she has friends and relatives who’ve been in abusive situations and community work brought her closer to such people too, both in urban and rural areas across the country. “It is rampant, across regions and class. The silence around it is unnerving.”

Nandita admits it was creatively challenging to shoot the seven-minute film during lockdown. With no crew, camera, or tripod stand for her phone, she used her old phone to record the sound separately and coordinated with two members of her team on Zoom to view the footage while she was shooting. “It was all shot in my living room. Just me and my son, Vihaan—a cast of two!” she informs, adding that they shot over three mornings with her cook, Bharat, as the camera operator, as she realised that the light changes by noon.

Nandita would perch the phone on stacked-up books, run to her position, give her son instructions, turn on the audio recorder on her other phone, ask Bharat to press recording, clap to call out the shot and the take number, and only then begin to perform. “Amidst all this chaos, it was difficult to remember the dialogues I had written myself, but I managed to improvise as I knew the crux of it. I had to imagine all the sounds—on the phone, the other characters, the whistle of the cooker - everything had to be in my head. This ordeal was a good reminder that filmmaking is, after all, a collaborative process.”

She admits that her favourite part of filmmaking has always been post production—editing, sound and music and some of the best in the industry, readily agreed to contribute to this film remotely. “Their willingness was heartwarming, but it was still tough. So many files were going back and forth, uploads and downloads. I am so not a techie but after this experience I might have just become one!” she exclaims.

Along with inspiring survivors to reach out for immediate assistance, the film, which is a simple story of two women—one overburdened by increased workload, another locked down with abuser—impacting each other, aims to bring about gender equality in the post-Covid world. “This lockdown still seems surreal. None of us ever imagined or experienced anything like this before. Personally, I have nothing to complain about. I largely work from home, so not much has changed except having to engage my son and the umpteen requests for online engagements,” she says, surprised at how quickly everyone is adapting to the new reality. “But what a bubble we live in because this is not a shared reality with millions of people who have nothing to eat, struggling to get home and have no livelihood. These gaps in equality are not a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. They were hidden in plain sight that are simply more apparent in this lockdown. For women in particular, it has been the most difficult,” she concludes.

Ram Kamal Mukherjee on his next film which has been endorsed by the United Nations’ Free and Equal campaign
Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 8, 2019)

A Tribute To Rituparno Ghosh: Season’s Greetings has become the first film to be endorsed by United Nations’ Free and Equal campaign that aims at raising awareness against homophobic and transphobic violence and discrimination. It will be screened across the world. UN official Rikke Hennum says, “We know from experience that films like this can play a critical role in starting and sustaining conversations to help raise awareness of some of the issues the film touches upon—from acceptance of same sex relationships, to the lives of LGBTQIA people in India.”

Director Ram Kamal Mukherjee, who started out with the intention of acquainting mainstream audiences with Rituparno’s work, reveals that issues faced by the LGBTQIA community became a part of his film organically. “Just before we began shooting, the Supreme Court abolished Section 377 on September 6. Since Rituparno was always vocal about the community’s rights, it made sense to incorporate it. In the film, September 5 is an important date,” he informs.

He took the film to the UN on his leading ladies, Celina Jaitly and Lillete Dubey’s insistence. “I was not sure about it because I felt it would be difficult for them to relate to, since the film is set in India. But I have been proved wrong,” says Ram. Celina, who has been an active supporter of LGBTQIA rights, shares, “Changing attitudes is never easy but it has happened on other issues and it is happening already in many parts of the world on this one. With the UN coming on board as a social partner, we are hoping this film will strike a chord globally.”

The film also marks the debut of transgender actor Shree Ghatak. Quiz Ram if it was a conscious choice and he says, “I wanted an established actor but everyone was skeptical about playing a transgender. Celina and Lillete voiced concerns over taking a non-actor for the role but it was a risk we took and I am happy with the result.”

Nila Madhab Panda on being one of the 11 filmmakers selected by the UN to be a part of an anthology on climate change
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 23, 2019)

Nila Madhab Panda, best known for his directorial, I Am Kalam, is one of the 11 filmmakers from across the globe selected by the United Nations to make a film on the worldwide phenomenon of rampant climate change. “The project is titled Interdependence and filmmakers from 11 nations will talk about this very relevant issue and how it plagues their countries. It’s essentially an anthology,” informs the maker. The other 10 directors on board include Faouzi Bensaidi (Morocco), Asa Hjorleifsdottir (Iceland), Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Cannes winner from Chad, Sahel Region), Salome Lamas (Portugal), Bettina Oberli (Switzerland), Shahrbanoo Sadat (Afghanistan), Silvio Soldini (Italy), Daniela Thomas (Brazil), Leon Wang (China) and Karin Williams (New Zealand).

Nila’s film, primarily a courtroom drama, is set in our capital city. It features Divya Dutta as a judge and Tannishtha Chatterjee as a lawyer, with Manjari Fadnnis and Chandan Anand as a married couple on the verge of divorce. “I have been living in Delhi for a long time now and the change is catastrophic. We are living in a gas chamber and being the parent of a growing child, I am worried about his health all the time. Since we are responsible for what is happening, we should come forward to do something. Running away won’t help. This film is a portentous narrative which will show us how we can fight the problem in our own way,” he explains.

Nila is ecstatic to be the chosen one to represent India at a global platform. “There is an Oscar- nominated filmmaker, directors who have won at Cannes, Berlin and other prestigious film festivals. All 11 of us have come together for one ultimate cause: climate change,” he exults, admitting that it was tough getting his cast together. “I got lucky and now have a nice ensemble in place. I have always been fond of Divya’s work, I believe she has more to offer than what we have seen and you will get to see another shade of her talent in my film,” he promises.

The film will open in Italy and travel across the globe with the intention of making everyone aware of the world we live in. “A release in India is the distributors’ call, but I hope it finds its way to the country,” Nila signs off.

The group has argued that the Indian production, which was recently screened by the UN in London, portrays their country in a bad light; film’s director unfazed
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 4, 2019)

Filmmaker Amjad Khan’s Gul Makai, a biopic on Nobel Laureate and education activist Malala Yousafzai, was screened by the United Nations in London on January 25. Now, Mirror has learnt that the film has drawn criticism from Pakistani diplomats who were among the audience, including members of the UN, its subsidiary Intergovernmental Institution for use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition (which finds a mention in the film) and the Indian and British High Commission.

The diplomats felt that the film portrays Pakistan in a negative light and after the screening, the group met Amjad to convey that they will ban the film in the country. According to a source, present at the event, Gul Makai could face the same opposition that Nandita Das’ recently-released Manto biopic did in Pakistan. “Malala is a global icon and it will be difficult to have the film banned officially. But the government may coerce the distributors into not releasing the film,” the source added. Amjad is not surprised by the development, pointing out that the Pakistan government hadn’t even acknowledged Malala’s Nobel win. “I have made the film with a lot of honesty but to glorify Lord Krishna, you have to show Kans in a bad light, even though they are a part of one family,” he argued.

When quizzed about reactions from other audience members at the screening, the director said, “The film received a standing ovation, including from the Pakistani delegates. It’s just that they can’t digest the truth.”

Gul Makai is an Indian production that has Reem Shaikh as Malala while Atul Kulkarni and Divya Dutta play her parents, Ziauddin Yousafzai and Toor Pekai. Mukesh Rishi and the late Om Puri also feature in significant roles. 

Prajakta Koli emerges as one among four from across the globe whose offering on racism will air on International Day for Tolerance
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; November 8, 2018)

After having found herself among 50 YouTubers from across the globe who were selected to create a video for United Nations’ Creators For Change, Indian social media influencer Prajakta Koli’s (MostlySane) offering has been shortlisted for airing.

With this feat, Koli emerges as one among four — and the only Indian — who will get a chance to showcase their video on International Day for Tolerance on November 16, in New York.

Talking about the initiative that aims to tackles hate, racism and xenophobia, Koli says, “I am honoured to share the stage with panelists from across the globe. We will discuss how our joint efforts can help in raising awareness and finding solutions to these issues.” Her video, No Offense, she says, sees her in conversation with a ‘hater’ as it attempts to highlight how seamlessly vile comments make part of conversation. The YouTuber will also deliver a speech at the event to further conversation around the subject.

Having taken to the video-sharing platform in 2015, Koli found fame early on as she shared bite- sized videos of her observations in daily life. Her channel edged towards tackling social issues in 2016. “It was on World Mental Health Day that year when real conversations began to take place on my channel. I uploaded a video encouraging people to talk to me, or send an e-mail [about mental health]. In the weeks that followed, we got thousands of e-mails from our viewers, talking about things that bothered them. That’s when I realised the reach the channel had, and the responsibility that came with it.”

Anupam Kher to mark Independence Day with flag hoisting ceremony at headquarters, and then at the Indian Consulate in New York
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 15, 2018)

Days after celebrating the spirit of India at the India Day Parade in New Jersey, Anupam Kher made his way to the United Nations headquarters where he will hoist the tri-colour flag to mark India's Independence Day today.

The actor, who is currently shooting for an international series, the medical drama, New Amsterdam, will also head to the Indian Consulate office later for another I-Day ceremony.

"This can be counted as one of my proudest moments. As children, we did this [hoisted the flag] in school and college, but to officially be part of such a ceremony, and represent your country on a special day is an honour," the actor tells mid-day. Set to slip into a traditional white kurta pajama for the special day, he says he expects the top dignitaries of the consulate to be present. "I will head to the UN [headquarters] at 8.30 am. A number of Indians are also expected to be there."

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 18, 2017)

Given that their outing delves into the pressing concern of menstrual hygiene for women in rural India, makers of Pad Man were able to seamlessly coerce authorities at the United Nations to permit them filming rights at their headquarters. The development implies that the Akshay Kumar-starrer will become only the second Hindi film to bag the opportunity.

A production hand tells midday that the team will jet off to Manhattan later this week to shoot for the final schedule at the headquarters in Turtle Bay. “We procured permissions to shoot a few days ago. This is the second Hindi film, after Half Girlfriend, to be shot there,” an insider says.

The unit will utilize the opportunity to film the climax scene at the venue. “The scene will mostly showcase the protagonist delivering an emotional lecture at a UN event. The pivotal subject was reason enough for authorities to readily come on board at a short notice.”

The cast and crew, we hear, will not be permitted to use their phones while shooting. They have also been allotted only six hours each day over the two week- long schedule, and will be permitted access at a specific section that has been cordoned off for them.

Twinkle Khanna’s debut production puts the spotlight on social entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham, who created a low-cost sanitary pad-making machine for less-privileged women of the country. Leading man Kumar will be accompanied by Sonam Kapoor, who recently wrapped up Veere Di Wedding, for the sequence.

Although the script has been tactfully crafted to reflect Muruganantham’s life, the biopic has been adequately commercialized and fictionalized for the big screen. It is being helmed by R Balki. In an interview to mid-day, Kumar, whose last outing touched upon the subject of open defecation, expressed perplexity at the tendency to avoid discussion around menstrual hygiene.

MUMBAI MIRROR (February 3, 2017)

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 21, 2014)

Actress Celina Jaitly, who has been out of the radar for a while now, is all set to turn singer. The actress, who is the United Nations’ goodwill ambassador for Human Rights Free and Equal Campaign, will croon a Bollywood track to help promote the cause in the country.

Mirror has learnt that the song which will mark her debut as a recording artiste, is the Lata Mangeshkar-hit, Uthe Sabke Kadam from the Amol Palekar-Tina Munim starrer Baaton Baaton Mein. Singer-composer Neeraj Shridhar will be reworking the Rajesh Roshan composition. A music video is also in the pipeline.

Celina, who is in Vienna, confirmed the news saying, “I think support for the LGBT cause can be best mobilised through a Bollywood song as everybody can relate to it. It’s daunting to debut with a Lata classic but exciting too.” International stars like Ricky Martin and the American band Sun are also part of the UN campaign, Free and Equal. “We need to open an engaging dialogue for the community and stop stereotyping them,” she asserts. Meanwhile, Celina will return to B-town early next year in the No Entry sequel. “It’s funny that the original ended with me delivering twins which is what happened in real life,” she laughed. “So, I guess I don’t have to prepare much for the sequel.”