'The Calling' - A Path-Breaking Short Film by Anouk

After the success of its three short films under the Bold is Beautiful campaign, Anouk has come up with yet anotherpath-breaking film. The ethnic wear brand, owned by the leading fashion e-commerce player Myntra has produced a short film ‘The Calling’ which deals with the issue of pregnancy based discrimination at workplace.

Earlier, Anouk had made a trilogy of films under the umbrella of Bold Is Beautiful, which presented three facets of choices in the lives of the modern Indian woman. The films spoke on issues which the society is not very open about like ‘single-parenting’, ‘women’s choice of her relationship’ and ‘standing up against eve teasing’. This season, Anouk has added one more dimension to the campaign by creating a film focusing on pregnancy bias in the corporate world. Women when considering maternity are at their most vulnerable state of their careers, with many corporates handling a pregnant woman’s insecurities in the most callous& discriminating manner.

The focus of this season's film ‘The Calling’ is a tight narrative of two minutes that takes place in a drive after work when Uma, a senior architect drops her pregnant colleague Shaheen(played by Radhika Apte) home. En route Shaheen confronts Uma on the discrimination she is facing at work due to her pregnancy, for which Uma is largely responsible. By the end of the film, Shaheen eloquently delivers the message that she can manage both roles of being a mother and an architect with aplomb. Shaheen looks stunning in her stylish blue Anouk jacket as she walks away victorious.

Actress, Radhika Apte has brilliantly portrayed the role of the architect Shaheen, while the role of Uma, her reporting manager is played by Shernaz Patel. The two minute long film will be aired across digital platforms starting Friday, 4^th December.

Excited to have worked with Anouk for the brand film, actress RadhikaApte said, “I truly believe in the brand’s philosophy of celebrating the bold and beautiful attitude of Indian women. I loved the simple yet powerful script and felt myself being completely involved in narrating the story of a pregnant woman who takes her choices very seriously and defends them feistily. It’s very important for women to do that.”

Commenting on the strategy behind the ideation of the campaign, Manish Aggarwal, VP, Marketing, Myntra Fashion Brands, said, “Anouk is for the modern Indian woman of today. Taking the topical short film approach forward, we wanted to communicate the brand message of ‘Bold is Beautiful’ in a non-intrusive manner through a real, slice of life story. ‘The Calling’ is the 4th film in the Bold is Beautiful series that exemplifies how the Indian woman can voice herself, express her identity and craft her own destiny. It is more about individualism then feminism.”

He further added, “I'm confident that this film will connect with our audience as it addresses a very real issue that every woman goes through at some point of time.”

Commenting on the new TVC, Abhishek Verma, Head, Myntra Fashion Brandssays, “We see Anouk as the bridge between the old and the new, not just in terms of the apparel we design, but the attitude associated with the brand. All our short stories clearly bring out the essence of the brand while celebrating the modern Indian women.”

Anouk’srange of apparels and accessories have played the role of a character artiste in all four films. The clothes used are ethnic yet modern, much like the human actors in this film and give an unabashed oomph to traditional Indian ethnic wear. Curated for the Indian woman of today, the collection ranges from kurtas to sarees and accessories.