Also known as MKBKSH Country of origin India No. of seasons 2 | Genre Edutainment Original language(s) Hindi | |
 | ||
Starring Meinal Vaishnav
Vikrant Rai
Dadhi Pandey
Janhavi Singh
Ranjana Tiwari
Danish Sharma | ||
Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon (MKBKSH) or “I, A Woman, Can Achieve Anything” is an Indian trans-media (TV, radio, internet and mobile phone) edutainment (entertainment education) initiative launched by the Population Foundation of India (PFI) to challenge the prevailing social and cultural norms around family planning, early marriage, early and repeated pregnancies, contraceptive use, domestic violence and sex selection. Award-winning actor / director, Feroz Abbas Khan is the creator of the show. The show has been endorsed by several celebrities involved with advocating social causes. These include Bollywood actors such as Sharmila Tagore, Shabana Azmi, Farhan Akhtar, Soha Ali Khan and corporate leaders such as Naina Lal Kidwai, among others. In Season Two, Farhan Akhtar makes a special appearance in the episodes as a ‘Sutradhar’ or narrator, in addition to a collaboration with his organization MARD(Men against Rape and Discrimination), a social initiative launched by the actor.
Contents
Plot
‘Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon’ is a powerful example of the ability of a woman to break free from the shackles of a patriarchal society and prove her mettle. Set in the small imaginary town of Pratappur, Season One consists of 52 episodes revolving around the inspiring journey of Dr. Sneha Mathur, a young doctor who leaves behind her lucrative career in Mumbai to work there. Sneha’s sense of family responsibility, along with her ability to respond to challenges around her, makes her a role model for many young Indian women who face similar realities. The series was scripted to influence social norms and behaviors on sex-selection, child marriage, age at first pregnancy, spacing between pregnancies, quality of healthcare, and domestic violence.
In Season Two, comprising 79 episodes, Dr. Sneha continues her crusade to ensure that the finest quality of healthcare is accessible to everyone. The Season has a special focus on youth and addresses the issues adolescents. Each issue is addressed in a riveting drama format. It shows various issues faced by Preeta, Dr. Sneha’s younger sister who starts a football team.
Telecast
An estimated 58 million viewers watched Season One on DD National, the national public broadcaster and one of the largest TV networks reaching the remotest areas in India. The show had total 52 episodes in Season 1 and was telecast in West Asia, Far East, Canada and Europe through DD India. The radio adaptation was broadcast on a total 155 channels covering Primary Channels/Local Radio Stations, FM Stations and Vividh Bharati Stations across India through All India Radio (AIR). Additionally, they were aired through a few community radio stations in select states.
Season Two of the series was aired starting in April 2015 and comprised 79 episodes. With the help of the National Adolescent Health programme, Population Foundation of India and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it brought up various issues faced by adolescents through this edutainment series.
A unique feature of the TV series is the Interactive Voice Response Service (IVRS), which provided a discussion forum for viewers as also a platform to share feedback. IVRS received huge response with over 1.5 million telephone calls having been received between Seasons One and Two on a designated call-back number.
Achievements
Season One With about 58 million viewers having watched Season One, the show had huge positive impact on the people. According to a survey carried out by Population Foundation of India after Season One of the show, a total of 48% of household watched the show in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The awareness of Child Marriage Act had increased from 74% to 88% from the exposed groups and 85% from the non-exposed groups in Madhya Pradesh. Bihar experienced an increase from 72% to 83% for exposed group and 78% for non-exposed group on the awareness of Child Marriage Act. After watching the programme, 77% of the people understood the need of girl education and that they should be not be married before the age of 18. Women became aware of family planning methods, thereby dropping the percentage of women who had never used any methods from 51% to 37.6%. Only 25.4% women agreed to the fact that they should be beaten if they leave the house without their husband’s consent, compared to 47.8% before Women who believed that they have are equal to men in terms of leaderships and work increased from 56.7% to 77.1%. Girls also stood up for their right to education and against early marriage. The show was appreciated by both men and women as they received calls from 48% men and 52% women.