A new scripted series titled MTV Nishedh will explore usually taboo but important subjects like abortion, tuberculosis and healthy contraceptive measures on television. Launched by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, the 13-episode series will be modelled on the lines of the 2009 MTV Shuga show that aired in several African countries such as Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
The Indian show’s objective is to inform and educate young people, and give voice to often neglected issues. “Our research team went to the rural parts of States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to come up with data, which showed that till date people are unaware of issues related to abortion, tuberculosis and healthy contraceptive measures,” said Georgia Arnold, executive director of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, worldwide. “Our researchers created various focus groups and had them discuss these issues. It was then that we decided to launch such a campaign in India.”
In India, the foundation has partnered with Viacom 18 to launch the miniseries, which will run through seven weeks. “I’ve always believed that doing good is good for business,” said Sudhanshu Vats, group CEO and MD, Viacom18. “We have, since inception, created content on social causes and built a successful broadcast business around it. We would continue to create multimedia campaigns, over and above our TV shows, that highlight various social themes.”
As Indian culture is extremely disparate to African customs and way of life, Ms. Arnold also spoke about the challenges the adaptation had to overcome. “The language, food, clothing everything is different when it comes to different countries,” she said. “Especially, in a country like India, there are thousands of cultures within the country. So, the researching phase went on for quite some time.”
Ms. Arnold said the miniseries will also be available on Viacom 18’s Colors Rishtey in addition to MTV. “These are some issues which people would like to watch alone. To enable personal viewing, we will be also airing this series on Voot,” she said.
