Mumbai: In an industry first, Viacom18 has partnered with philanthropic organization Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and development communications specialists, BBC Media Action to create a Hindi general entertainment fiction series called Navrangi Re!with an underlying behaviour change message on sanitation.
Laced with high drama, wit and satire, Navrangi Re! is a finite series that will make us all sit up, take responsibility and #GiveAShit this New Year.
The 26-episode television drama series, Navrangi Re! ,Produced by Swastik Productions, is the story of a lively mohalla (a neighbourhood) in a town in Northern India full of quirky and endearing characters. Navrangi Re! has a gamut of colourful characters- from a talking wall to a rich and ruthless diva to a spoilt brat to a strong female lead that refuses to give in, and an underlyingmonster that’s growing underground.
Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO & MD, Viacom18,said “Today, 70% of urban India’s sewage is left untreated and it’s an issue that needs immediate attention. As a media and entertainment company we have realized that you connect with the viewers better when you marry social messaging with an interesting narrative. Viewers identify and resonate with such content very well and we have seen this with our film, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. Navrangi Re! therefore is not a PSA but a 13 weeks’ series which aims to showcase the various challenges faced in a community due to lack of proper sanitation facilities. Along with BMGF and BBC Media Action this is our humble effort to spread awareness and lead to behaviour change.”
Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head- Hindi Mass Entertainment & Kids TV Network, Viacom18, elaborates,“At Viacom18, we are storytellers, and we believe in harnessing the power of stories to bring about change. Navrangi Re! is a product of that philosophy. It is a powerful story narrated entertainingly with the idea to mainstream a topic as important and nuanced as Faecal Sludge Management. Given the wide audience we are targeting through this social impact programming, Navrangi Re! is an apt fitment as the first ever Rishtey Original.”
Devika Bahl, Creative Producer, BBC Media Action, adds, “It’s quite tricky to engage viewers with an issue like faecal sludge management. The challenge is to convert technical information into full-blown entertainment – a story that’s full of romance, drama humour and aspirations. Navrangi Re! is an attempt to achieve that balance.”
Siddharth Kumar Tewary, Founder, Producer, Creative Director, Swastik Productions said, “Sanitation is a serious issue and the challenge for us was to merge this topic with entertainment and create a light-hearted show which entertains yet gets a strong message across to our viewers. The partnership of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, BBC and Viacom18 and Swastik is a great step on Indian Television as we bring forth content on a mass medium which shall have viewers laughing and learning simultaneously.”
Anil Kapoor joins the Mohalla as a special guest for one day, doing a cameo on TV. According to him, the cause is aligned with Sri Narendra Modi ji’s vision of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, and also very close to his heart.
Navrangi Re! will launch on February 2nd, 2019 and will be telecaston Saturday and Sunday at 9:30 pm on Rishtey.It will also air on COLORS Gujarati and COLORS Odia at 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays starting February 9th. Viewers can also watch it anytime on VOOT.
