Open defecation is a growing concern in rural India and an inherent hygiene problem of the rural areas. Women safety is ignored and many times even compromised when they risk themselves by venturing out into the open to relieve themselves at odd hours of the day. Astral Pipes launched an ad film with the idea to encourage women to take revenge at the casual attitude shown by their male counterparts despite the Government of India willing to fund the construction of toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Astral Pipes’ new commercial is a shout out to the pending need of sanitation facilities in our country, especially in the rural areas. The motive behind this advertisement by Astral Pipes may be furthering PM Narendra Modi’s initiative of Swachh Bharat Mission. While Modi’s ambitious plans may not have culminated in results in terms of access to sanitation facilities in the rural areas, this ad campaign has set out to change the mindsets of the rural population regarding the basic need of such facilities.
Conceptualised and produced by Lowe Lintas, Ahmedabad, the film is set in a rural background where we see a few men of the village making a beeline for the routine call of nature. While to the men it has become a habit, one they don’t think requires change, this normal routine is dreadful for women as when they go out. The women of rural India constantly battle the fear of being spotted or followed or even eve-teased. The womenfolk of this particular village have decided to amend the way things have been done.
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A group of women surround the men and holler at them. Their demands are simple and they want them to take cognizance of the dangers that face them every passing day. These women recount the many events as they are followed, eve-teased and even raped in the fields that have now become their battlefield. The women who are clad in angry red robes are in no mood to take the empty threats of the village men. As these women stand up to the men, this advertisement portrays a strong message that women are no longer going to take any sh*t from the men.
The Public Service Advertisement is currently being promoted across Astral Poly Technik’s digital platforms including YouTube and other social media platforms Facebook and Twitter.
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