Abhay Deol will do his bit for the cause of community media

Abhay Deol, who has always believed in being different, will now be seen as the brand ambassador of the organisation Video Volunteers acting for the cause of community media. Abhay will also visit a community video unit set up by VV and the NGO Akshara in a Chembur slum tomorrow where he will attend a screening of videos made by slum dwellers.



Says Abhay, "VV has created a movement based on the idea that the poor in India have a right to a voice and to express themselves creatively. As a creative artist myself and as someone committed to alternative cinema, I find it exciting that, thanks to VV, so many communities around India are able to use my chosen medium of expression to make life better in their communities."

Talking about what excited him about VV, Abhay says, "I met them at a conference in Mysore and found they were doing some really good work. What attracted me to their work was the fact that they are training people in the process of filmmaking and thus bringing about a change in society using the medium of films. It's a very powerful tool especially as they are training people in the smaller towns and villages andu00a0 making producers out of housewives, mechanics etc."

u00a0Abhay adds that the funds for producing the films come through donations. "They need financial support and have over 100 trained producers. They are also willing to provide new content to TV channels thus making reporters out of local people who make short films on community issues like infra- structure, domestic violence, child marriage, clean water. Anybody who is interested in filming can join. They teach editing and computers too."

Abhay feels, "This is the potential of the digital revolution, the poor in India can finally make their voices heard to the mainstream media and to government," says Deol. "And in a place like India, with high levels of illiteracy, video and film are a perfect medium. Giving people the tools to make their own media is a great way to enable more people to participate in our democracy."