Film and music professionals and MSM and Transgender community members have come together to create a colourful peppy music video that not only highlights several issues faced by the community, but also offers hope. Sahaay Project has launched a music video with crucial messages for the MSM & Transgender on Valentine’s Day.
“Bol Na Mere Yaar” (Tell Me My Friend) music video captures the anxieties and dilemmas of a man in love with another man, the stigma and discrimination he faces, the pressures from his family to get married. So what will he do? One of his friends suggests a solution that could be an answer all his questions – Sahaay Helpline (1800-2000-113).
Sahaay Helpline, India’s first ever 24 x 7 toll-free helpline for MSM & TG community has already received over 55,000 calls in the past 5 months. This counselling helpline has helped individuals through a range of psycho social traumatic experience including counselling on their HIV+ve status. Starting with providing information on HIV/AIDS and STI related issues to men who have sex with men (MSM), the helpline and its counsellors provide counselling on a range of issues. The helpline has been customized especially to ensure caller confidentiality, a prime concern among the community which the helpline is reaching out to. The caller is not asked personal identifiers like name, address and telephone number; calls are not recorded as well.
To spread awareness about Sahaay Helpline and its facilities, the communication team has developed posters, flyer, social media banners, five radio spots and three videos. One of them is the music video which has been released on February 14 – Valentine’s Day.
“Everyone loves a song and dance… especially so in India. What better way than a music video to communicate messages about same-sex love. We expect this song to go viral, and offer hope to a large ‘hidden’ population who are motivated to use the services offered by the helpline,” said Sridhar Rangayan who has conceived and directed the music video.
The video stars Sarang Bhakre and Raj Hanchanale (Dushyantapriya fame) as well as new actor Ashish Sharma along with a large group of dancers from MSM and TG community and has been shot by award winning cameraman Subranshu Das (Filmistan, Happy Hai Babloo).
Sahaay Project is an initiative of FHI360 (an international NGO) with approval from Department of AIDS Control, Government of India. The project is being carried out in collaboration with The Humsafar Trust and three Community Based Organisations (CBOs) namely Mitva in Chhattisgarh, Mitr Trust in Delhi and Humsaaya in Maharashtra.