A still from the ad film

Barely a week after Gauri Sawant's first ad film released, she was bargaining at a sabzi mandi in Pune, when a lady approached her, requesting her for a selfie. The film, which is part of Vicks' latest campaign, #TouchOfCare, went viral within hours of release, clocking over 12 million views in the first week. Seeking to make the image of the mother more inclusive, the 3.30 minute long film features the Malad-based transgender activist playing herself, and captures a series of poignant vignettes of her relationship with daughter Gayatri. Sawant, who adopted Gayatri in 2001 after her mother, a sex worker succumbed to HIV, has been a forerunner in the fight for transgender rights. However, initially, she was not keen that a film be made on her.