In a first of its kind initiative, Star India aims to raise Rs 30 crore for the Uttarakhand flood relief as India celebrates 67 years of Independence on Thursday. The network will be airing a seven hour programme - Saath Hain Hum Uttarakhand across all its channels (Star Plus, Life OK, Star Pravah, Star Utsav and Channel V), the advertising revenues of which will go towards Uttarakhand rehabilitation endeavours.
Uday Shankar, Star India CEO says, “ Stories from Uttarakhand are extremely distressing and require the entire nation to stand united for the task of rebuilding the flood-ravaged state. Restoring normalcy was always going to be a long and strenuous task. And it requires everyone to pitch in. We have always believed in the immense power of television to influence positive change. Star conceived the idea of bringing together the country's leading artists to both keep the attention on the task of rebuilding as well as to raise funds for the effort.”
The marathon event which will be telecast from 12 noon to 7 pm will include performances by Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Lata Mangeshkar, Ajay Devgn, Kajol, Anil Kapoor, AR Rahman, Boman Irani, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Pritam, Prasoon Joshi, Mukesh Bhatt and Ayushmann Khurana. Television actors including celebrities from top television shows of the Star network such as ‘Diya Aur Baati Hum’, ‘Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara’, ‘Saraswatichandra’, ‘Savdhaan India’, ‘Devon Ke Dev Mahadev’ and ‘India’s Dancing Superstars’ will also be performing at the do.
Apart from performances, the event will also host a telethon where viewers can call in and make donations towards the cause. Donations can be made till 7 September. The network has tied up with Himmotthan Society and People’s Science Institute to channel funds raised through the event.
Himmotthan Society and People’s Science Institute have been actively involved in rehabilitation works in Uttarakhand after the floods. While Himmotthan is focusing on reconstruction of livelihoods through innovative techniques in agriculture, water and sanitation, livestock management and afforestation; People’s Science Institute is engaged in devising sustainable solutions and building robust infrastructure that’s better equipped to handle natural calamities.
The idea was jointky conceived by Star India, Wizcraft, Federation of Western India Cine Employees and Film & Television Producers Guild and the creative partner for on ground event is Ogilvy and Mather. The presenting sponsor for the marathon event is Hindustan Unilever's Lifebouy and several other brands have come on board as advertisers it is learnt.
This is the second phase of Star India’s efforts to aid rehabilitation work in Uttarakhand. The broadcaster had started focused campaigns in July featuring actors from popular shows of Star India’s network channels. These promos aimed to muster support and encourage viewers to donate generously for the cause.
Shankar adds, “(While) this was an immediate action and from a long-term perspective, we planned the Independence Day fund-raiser. We will continue to do all that’s within our means to support Uttarakhand’s cause. If required, we will definitely extend the scope of this exercise. Our mission remains to inspire a billion imaginations and the most important task at the moment is to inspire people to help create a new Uttarakhand.”
