Heart-wrenching TVC puts limelight on sexual harassment, violence; creates ripples on social media

A television commercial directed by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki went viral on social media recently.

With the tagline "Amader Nirobotai Oporadhider Shahosh" (Our silence gives power to the predators), the commercial conveys a strong message on speaking up against sexual violence and harassment.

Under the banner of Chabial, Sun Communications Limited produced the project for Jui Beautiful Hair. Sumaiya Kabir, popularly known by Rj Arunima, is the voice over artiste of the commercial.

Farooki shared his experience of making this commercial, with The Daily Star.

"We make commercials to make ends meet — but then there are some which are more than just advertisements. Jui's anti-harassment commercial falls in that category," explains the filmmaker.

"I received a voice message from Tanvir Hossain, who spearheads Sun Communications. I played the message and was blown away. It had seven lines, narrated by Tanvir himself. It felt like poetry, and a strong statement about women's condition in Bangladesh at the same time."

 Afterwards, Tanvir texted Farooki about working on this project together. "At the time, the script was not developed and the client was not briefed, but we knew we had to do it, as it is the need of the hour," adds Farooki. "We tried to portray the realities and leave it to the audience to act and respond."

 Farooki explains that to bring about positive changes, we must take actions. "We thank Jui for making this possible. A special thanks also goes out to Malik Mohammed Sayeed, Director, Head of Operations, SQUARE Toiletries Ltd, for leading this project. He also led Meril's anti-skin complexion bias commercial from a few years back. It is heartening to see that corporate leaders are thinking differently and aiming to leave a positive impact on the society," he adds.