Bell Bajao selected for Cannes

“Launched on August 20,2008,Bell Bajao urges men to get rid of ‘It’s not my business’ mentality. It is effective and powerful in its messaging with a single and simple action point- ring the bell and stop domestic violence,” explains Baudhayan,an alumnus of Kolkata’s South Point High School.
This is a far cry from the traditional efforts which always focussed on empowering women to assert themselves and prevent violence. Sonali Khan,Director,Creative Communications,Breakthrough,says,“Breakthrough works to transform attitudes towards women so that men can realise that women’s rights are human rights. Ending violence against females has been a focus of women’s organisations because women are both victims as well as survivors of violence. This story needs another chapter where men act against violence. They need to stop being at the fringes.”

The Bell Bajao campaign is an entire series of short films. Each film features a man,who alerted by a woman’s screams,walks over to the house and rings the bell on various pretexts such as asking for a cup of milk or retrieving a lost ball.
Most of these films are almost without dialogue but have powerful visuals that strike you instantly. For instance,one movie opens with a man shouting loudly in his flat. As he screams and thrashes his wife,another man (Boman Irani) walks up to ring the doorbell. When the husband opens the door,Irani asks if he can use their telephone. At once,Irani’s cell-phone begins to ring and you can see the light blinking from his shirt’s pocket. The message is clear – the husband is a wife-beater. As Irani walks away,you get the feeling that one bell and a severe look will make sure it was the last time the man raised his hand on his wife.

The campaign is in its second run with a new set of films that show a postman delivering letters as the man who rings the bell. Bell Bajao has already won several awards. It has won a gold and a silver at Goafest (2009),two golds at the Indian Documentary Producers Association Awards,a Spikes Asia Gold,a Community Engagement Award at the Media That Matters festival in New York,a special jury mention at the Expression En Corto Film Festival in Mexico and the Best Public Service Advertisement award at the UNFPA-Laadli Media Awards,India,2009. Apart from the awards,the comment of a friend who underwent a messy divorce,still rings in Baudhayan’s ears. “After seeing the campaign my friend asked me,‘Why didn’t you make the series before? Someone could have rung the bell at my door too,’ suggesting that it might have saved her marriage,” says a pensive Baudhayan.