Sridevi is now your 'Saheli'
Published: Tuesday, Nov 1, 2005, 19:50 ISTBy Faheem Ruhani
She may be doing zero movies today but her star status is still intact. Why else would the Hindustan Latex Limited (HLL, a Government of India Undertaking) and the Chennai-based agency RK Swammy BBDO ask superstar Sridevi to lend her name and support for a family planning initiative?
"Sharmana kya 'Saheli' ka hai zamana," is how Sridevi will try to advocate the benefits of the non-steroidal oral contraceptive pill to thousands of women across India. The pill was first developed by the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow in 1991, but its penetration has largely been restricted to the northern belt. With Sridevi endorsing the pill, HLL is now hoping that the star will boost what they claim is the simplest and easiest way of contraception. They even claim that the pill has no side effects like weight gain.
Says G Manoj, vice president social communications of the agency, "Sridevi was our first and only choice for this ad because she is a popular actor, a successful mother of two and she is immensely beautiful. With her endorsing the brand, we think we will be able to reach out to a lot more women."
Says the actor herself, "I had initially refused the ad but then my business manager Hari Singh convinced me and my husband after these people approached me a second time. I was made to understand that it was a Government of India initiative and that I would be rendering a service to the people by doing this ad because population control and family planning are two of the biggest challenges facing the country.
That sentiment inspired me to do this ad. In our country people emulate film celebrities and if my doing this ad helps to reach out to so many women, then it is worth the effort."
Interestingly, Sridevi shot for the talk show format commercial in a Manish Malhotra sari, the first person to whom she broke the news of her pregnancy years ago.
From DNA.
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