This MMS Educates, And Not Titillates

It is a multimedia messaging service called Forbidden Fruit. If you think it’s porn, you are wrong; it educates people on HIV/AIDS and the need for safe sex.

Gujarat medico Gaurav Chhabra's 80 second MMS (multimedia messaging service) will hit the mobiles soon, a fictional clip spreading awareness on the deadly disease and cautioning people on the disease while urging them to have safe sex.

The 27-year-old doctor in this Gujarat city said he was never inclined towards a routine medical practice and always wanted to do something different.

He had been keen on making films since his college days - and has till now made three documentaries and now an MMS on preventive healthcare among the masses.

Making the MMS was not an easy job, he said. With "the public image of MMS as porn film", he had a lot of problems getting people for the project.

"When my actors heard that I am shooting for an MMS, they didn't turn up. They even refused to take my phone call," Chhabra told IANS.

Finally, his friends - Melvyn and Jinni - a married couple, came forward to act.

"It was a disappointing situation. But knowing the impact of the medium, I decided not to give up," he said.

The doctor wants to explore healthcare communications but has not yet found a proper channel.

His brief stint as a communications consultant left him frustrated.

"Red-tapism did not allow me to work. With a medicine background I could have decided the technicalities in a better way than the others," he said.

"Soon my stubborn nature came in between and I quit," Chhabra laughed.

He also worked with the AIDS control society for about a week.

Not really satisfied with his work so far, Chhabra said his projects so far were "still aimed at urban audiences only". He wants to learn more and reach out to the rural areas.

Chhabra wants his work to be different. He is not in favour of making informative films with simple messages.

"People are not interested in watching dos and don'ts with a minister's photograph in the background. If messages are entertaining, you are successful," he said.

--IANS