By Utpal Borpujari / New Delhi
Three young detectives and problems related to social issues like under-age marriage, nutrition, stereotyping of girls and boys, continuing education, peer pressure, school drop-outs & exam blues and gender-based violence to solve.
That is what is now alive on the TV screens at your home soon as UNICEF India and BBC Media Action India have joined hands to create a coming-of-age action drama series for social change, titled “AdhaFULL”.
Designed as a 78-episode TV series, the campaign follows three adolescents— Kitty (16), Tara (11) and Adrak (15) – who form the “AdhaFULL” gang that will solve a new case each week. The mysteries they solve are intertwined with their journey of growing up in a small town.
The half-hour-long episodes of “AdhaFULL”, being telecast on Doordarshan National every Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 7.30-8pm from October 21, “AdhaFULL”, as the Hinglish name suggests, reflects the hybrid nature of both a society in transition and adolescence.
Recently launching the series, Prasar Bharati chairman Dr A Surya Prakash said, “Doordarshan has the largest reach in India. We are happy to be the first channel to broadcast a dedicated programme for adolescents, engaging them so that they can reach their full potential.”
According to Louis-Georges Arsenault, UNICEF India Representative, “India is home to 243 million adolescents. This series portrays adolescents who stand up for their rights. Through a mix of social drama, action, energy, fun, humour and emotions, this edutainment package discusses existing social norms and showcases transformation from a culture of silence to a culture of change and freedom.”
“Young lives and aspirations are about the 3Cs – curiosity, challenge and creativity. Through AdhaFULL’s story and its characters, we want to engage our young viewers and their parents in a journey of change, so that they feel they can negotiate and work with the 3Cs. For us, it’s been an exciting, enthralling journey and I hope it would be the same for our audiences,” says Radharani Mitra, National Creative Director & Executive Producer, BBC Media Action.
The action- packed series is being produced by Sunshine Productions, complete with pyrotechnics, chases, stunts, stylised lighting and filming, original sound tracks to accentuate drama and suspense. The television series will be supported by a 78-episode-long radio show called Full on Nikki, as well as a mobile game, an inter-personal toolkit, graphic novels and DVD omnibuses, according to its makers.