Real-life movement against moral policing on women by Sri Ram Sena finds place in a movie

The pink chaddi campaign, started by four young girls back in February 2009, against the moral policing on Indian women by the Shri Ram Sena has now found a place in a Bollywood production.

Pink bra campaign

Vivek Agnihotri's film Buddha In A Traffic Jam has incorporated the real-life movement in the film. The Goal and Chocolate director's next project deals with issues that affect the youth.

Says a source, "They have done the research and taken inputs from the girls who started the campaign as well as those who were involved in the incident. In the film, they will tag it as pink bra campaign."

Explains Agnihotri, "Buddha In A Traffic Jam is about the socio-political system and its nexus. It is inspired from real life incidents. I travelled all across the hinterland and realised that corruption and moral policing have victimised and terrorised the common man more than terrorism has."

Time to act

He adds, "My film deals with real-life issues that have affected the youth of the country and it shows the creative ways to deal with them.

I am fully aware of the threats and consequences but I believe that evil prevails when good men don't act. I think I am at a point in life when I must act."

The film stars Arunoday Singh, Mahi Gill, Viveck Vaswani and Pallavi Joshi and has been shot at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad.

What was the pink chaddi campaign?

The pink chaddi campaign was launched in February 2009 in response to violent activism against perceived violations of Indian culture.

It was in protest against a threat by Pramod Muthalik of the Sri Ram Sena, an orthodox Hindu group. On February 6, 2009 a group of men belonging to the Shri Ram Sena attacked some women in a Mangalore pub.

Later, Muthalik announced an action plan to target couples found together on February 14 (Valentine's Day) and get them married.

Four young women (Nisha Susan, Jasmine Patheja, Mihira Sood and Isha Manchanda) urged a Gandhi-like peaceful protest by sending pink underwear to Muthalik's office.

Later, people from all over the country and world sent chaddis to the Shri Ram Sena office.