On Tuesday, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur launched the first set of short video series named ‘Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniya’ in collaboration with OTT platform Netflix to bring out inspiring stories of seven Indian women as a part of the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. He also felicitated three inspiring Indian women who got featured in this special series.
“Stories of 7 trailblazing forces of nature who defined what freedom means to them. Netflix in association with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting presents – Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniyan. Inspiring stories of 7 incredible, independent women, narrated by Neena Gupta”, Netflix India tweeted on April 26.
The first set of the series narrates the inspiring stories of seven women changemakers- Basanti Devi, the savior of the Kosi River, Anshu Jamsenpa, the first woman to scale Mount Everest twice in five days in 2017, Harshini Kahnekar, India’s first woman firefighter, Arohi Pandit, the first woman pilot to cross the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean, Tessy Thomas, India’s first woman to head a missile project, Tanvi Jagdish, India’s first woman paddleboarder and Poonam Nautiyal, the lady who vaccinated the entire district of Bageshwar, Uttarakhand.
Minister Anurag Thakur while felicitating Basanti Devi, Anshu Jamsenpa, and Harshini Kanhekar on the occasion lauded their remarkable achievements and said that their stories would inspire people across the country. He said that ‘the idea of Azadi is intertwined with women emancipation in India’ and that the term Azadi or freedom holds a wider connotation for women who have to fight stereotypes and taboos in society as well.
Elaborating multiple dimensions of this partnership with Netflix, the Minister announced that the OTT platform Netflix would be producing 25 videos on themes including women empowerment, environment, sustainable development, and other days of significance. “Netflix will produce two-minute short films for the Ministry which will be shared on social media platforms and telecast on the Doordarshan network”, he added.
Thakur also announced that Netflix and Ministry had plans to organize training workshops and masterclasses to encourage filmmakers in India to create inspiring content on various topics under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. “Netflix and ministry will partner to develop a creative ecosystem by organizing training programs for post-production, VFX, animation, music production among others, and will be organized on the ground and virtually”, he said.
Meanwhile Bela Bajaria, Head of Global TV, Netflix said that India was one of the most vibrant entertainment industries in the world, and India was remarkably well placed in times of internet entertainment. “Netflix is excited to be part of a time when stories from India are being exported to the world and the best Indian stories are being discovered and loved on a global stage. Netflix is proud to partner with MIB to celebrate and acknowledge the evolution of India over the past 75 years by celebrating its beautiful art, culture, and storytelling”, she said.
She further added that it was in pursuance of this partnership that Netflix had created a series of short videos based on real-life stories aimed to celebrate the achievement of people from all corners of India. “Netflix’s commitment to India is strong and growing and Netflix will continue to find the country’s finest stories and share them across the globe”, she remarked.
It is important to note that on January 20, Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings had expressed his ‘frustration’ during an investor call over the slow growth of the video streaming company in the Indian market. “In our experience in Brazil, it was brutal for the first couple of years. We thought we’d never break even. I know we’ve got this great business. The great news is that in every single other major market, we’ve got the flywheel spinning. The thing that frustrates us is why haven’t we been more successful in India”, he had said.
Also, in December last year, the OTT platform had slashed the subscription prices of Netflix in India intending to expand the market. It had also started its special operation to learn more about the Indian consumers’ tastes and had decided to include similar content on the platform.
According to the statement, ‘Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniyan’ is an iconic initiative to bring out beautiful stories of extraordinary Indians on various themes including Women Empowerment, Environment and Sustainability, and others. The diverse set of stories seeks to motivate and empower Indians from every corner of the country. The videos will be available on various social media channels of the Ministry, the Doordarshan network, and Netflix. The stories will soon be made available in other languages also like Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, English, and Malayalam to ensure that the stories are seen and heard by people across the nation.