Bas Ab Bahut Ho Gaya

The Initiative

There are varying degrees of physical and sexual abuse that form an ugly pattern in the life of a woman. And it is inherent in the culture of our country to condone this violence; where up to 42 per cent women believe it is okay for their husbands to beat them. This is reinforced by the patriarchy, a well-oiled vicious cycle of neglect and exploitation where girls and women have suffered missed opportunity, lack of self-esteem, poor health, and no financial security.

Anthem

Chulein Aasmaan, a video anthem to encourage girls and women everywhere to #PressForProgress this International Women’s Day. The anthem talks of stereotypes and challenges women are faced with by a predominantly patriarchal society and urges them to rise above these and reach for the sky.

Digital Film Contest

Short Film Contest for College Students

Attention: We had an overwhelming response to our film contest with over 1700 entrants. Students from around India submitted their creative work in a bid to be campaign winners with purpose. We thank every entrant and look forward to sharing the winning films with you all.

You can see the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Prize here as voted by our esteemed jury members Oscar nominated director Shekhar Kapur, Kiran Karnik, Shabana Azmi & director Feroz Abbas Khan.

1) Perfect Change
2) Call of Cry
3) The Blind Local

View the Winners of the VIEWERS CHOICE Film Contest.

Click Here

Who Are We?

The #BasAbBahutHoGaya initiative is a ‘Grand Challenge” spearheaded by the Population Foundation of India (PFI)
and is created and incepted by Feroz Abbas Khan in collaboration with MARD (Men Against Rape and Discrimination)
– an initiative by Actor & Director Farhan Akhtar.

PARTNERSHIPS

Population Foundation of India

Population Foundation of India (PFI) is a national NGO, which promotes and advocates for the effective formulation and implementation of gender sensitive population, health and development strategies and policies. The organisation was founded in 1970 by a group of socially committed industrialists under the leadership of the late JRD Tata and Dr Bharat Ram.

Feroz Abbas Khan

Feroz Abbas Khan, national award winning film and theatre director and screenwriter is the creator of the serial Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon or I, A Woman, Can Achieve Anything. His debut film, Gandhi My Father, has won several national and international awards. Most of Mr Khan’s work has been associated with social causes and he remains committed to the use of Entertainment Education for social change.

MARD

Men Against Rape and Discrimination or MARD is a 2013 social campaign launched by Bollywood film director and actor Farhan Akhtar. The word “MARD” has been used in the short form of the campaign name. The campaign aims to raise social awareness against rape and discrimination of women Rise Up. Say #BasAbBahutHoGaya

Our Films

Unmute

Voices of countless women who fight against different forms of violence are suppressed on a daily basis. Sexual harassment at the workplace is one such appalling form of violence. Shreya Kalra, a young professional shares her experience in this film.

-Released on Mar 15, 2018

Break the Silence

Barkha Dutt, journalist and author, talks of her personal story of sexual abuse at an early age. She talks of the importance of breaking the silence, and teaching children to speak out.

-Released on Mar 15, 2018

Nightmare on the Road

Varnika Kundu, a DJ from Chandigarh was stalked and chased by men at night. Varnika talks of what happened next, and why women should never let their fears hold them back.

-Released on Feb 09, 2018

Nirbhaya

This film was released on Gandhi Jayanti which is International Day of Non Violence. The brutal gang-rape of Jyoti Singh (‘Nirbhaya’) on 16 December, 2012 gave a hard knock to the collective conscience of India. The crime had moved an entire nation to demand action from the lawmakers and the law-keepers of the country. Even after the conviction of the perpetrators, the memory of the horrific crime still burns and the scab is ripped open, taking us back to ground zero with every reported crime and act of violence against women and girls. Hear how her parents fought to the finish for justice, undeterred and resolute in the face of their personal trauma.

-Released on Oct 02, 2017

Sania Mirza

“BELIEVE IN YOUR DREAMS, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Most importantly don’t let anybody tell you that you are less than anybody else in the world.”

Vidya Balan

On Fathers day we released a film about Vidya Balan and her father P.R. Balan. Vidya is one of India’s leading award winning actors who is consistently challenging stereotypes. Watch this heartwarming film of an encouraging father to her daughter.

“Whatever my daughters wanted to do, we never stood in the way of their freedom” P.R Balan

-Released on Jun 18, 2017

Launch with Farhan Akhtar

“Let’s salute the extraordinary men that break the shackles of gender bias and never let patriarchy destroy the dreams of their daughters…” Farhan Akhtar.

Farhan Akhtar announces the first of the films to be released on Fathers Day as part of the #BasAbBahutHoGaya campaign.

Rise Up. Say #BasAbBahutHoGaya

#BasAbBahutHoGaya is a unique uprising that aims to put girls and women at the centre of development
by changing the mindsets of communities at large towards them. The objective is to mobilise the youth
to raise the alarm about the current issues in our communities and to take a definite step towards gender equality.

MISSION

Our objective is to mobilize people and to change the knowledge, attitude and perception of gender based violence in India. More specifically on violence against women and girls. A key focus area is the youth of India.

CREATE CONNECT COMMUNICATE

We create content and use celebrity endorsed communication to introduce a dialogue of change. We hope to trigger positive communication interventions on digital platforms using real life case studies and statistics to bring to attention what is a serious issue in the country.

CELEBRITY INFLUENCE

We are working with people of influence to profile our campaign in a bid to end violence against women & girls. With digital media and edutainment we are able to have direct conversations with the people of India and we in turn can hear what they have to say. Celebrity outreach can have significant impact by encouraging change and fast action. We are working with some of the most influential celebrities in India in order to evaluate the effectiveness of their “star status” to trigger change, particularly with respect to deeply entrenched gender perceptions and stereotypes.