Hollywood and Bollywood are not seen together very often, but when they do, people sit up and listen.
Veteran Hollywood actor Richard Gere, and Bollywood actors Sunny Deol and Shilpa Shetty came together on Sunday at the India Habitat Centre not to release a blockbuster but to highlight a cause. They joined truck drivers in creating awareness about HIV and AIDS as a part of the ongoing ‘Seena Taan Ke’ campaign. The initiative was taken by Heroes Project, founded by Richard Gere and Parmeshwar Godrej, along with Transport Corporation of India.
The trucker community loved interacting with Sunny Deol (he played the role of a trucker in the movie Gadar). The brawny actor felt that the media is an important tool that has the power to take the issue forward.
Gere, well known for his commitment to HIV/AIDS awareness projects, was at his affable best, talking and mixing with everybody. He sought to know why truckers behaved irresponsibly. The answer was quick and to the point — long hours of driving, boredom and the feeling of isolation. Gere could understand how they felt. “No one is different, right from the U.S. President to actors to all of us,” he said. “Change your behaviour to change things. You can break the habit (drinking or ingesting opium). Do that on one of your trips,” he urged the truckers.
“There are around 5-6 million truckers along the Golden Quadrilateral who are on this long route for a long time, and at risk of contracting HIV,” said Tarun Vij, Project Director of TCI Foundation.
Shilpa Shetty felt the problem lay in interior areas and recommended that the media target these areas. “Write in papers that are read by people on highways,” she concluded.