The ongoing pandemic has reversed years of global progress in tackling tuberculosis and for the first time in over a decade, TB deaths have increased. In India itself, every single day TB claims the lives of more than 1300 people, despite treatment being available free for all, says actor Vaani Kapoor, who has been appointed as the face of the initiative #BeTheChangeForTB, a youth-focused, digital-first initiative launched by Johnson & Johnson India. She’s honoured to be a part of the ‘Be the Change for TB‘ initiative and appeals to the youth of the country and around the world to join this movement and she is confident that together we can reduce the burden of TB in India. In conversation with FinancialExpress.com, here’s what Vaani Kapoor shared about her association with the campaign:
What was the inspiration behind your association with the ‘Be the Change for TB’ campaign?
India accounts for 26% of the Global TB burden and a significant percentage of the youth population in India is impacted by TB. Further, more than 4 Lac cases go missing every year. Every single day TB claims the lives of more than 1300 people in India, despite treatment being available free for all. I believe youth act as catalysts of change and they have the power to bring a real positive impact. This thought was my inspiration and I decided to join the ‘Be the Change for TB’ campaign.
How are you planning to help the campaign in achieving the desired outcomes?
Being the face of the campaign and part of this youth focused initiative, my aim will be to create awareness about tuberculosis and create a cadre of Youth TB Changemakers who are passionate to support the Government of India’s goal to make the country TB-Free.
I have also shot a rap video song with KaamBhaari and it was a great experience. The rap lyrics are inspirational and they would connect directly with the youth. I am confident that together we can reduce the burden of TB in India.
You can check out the rap song here –
Your recent movie was aimed towards breaking social stigma and bringing a change in people’s thought process. Any upcoming project that you have signed for an Indian audience in the same line?
My next film Shamshera is a film that is extremely close to my heart and each one of us have given our best to make it a film that everyone, across all age groups, will enjoy. Coming out of Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, I wanted to give audiences a performance that they will again hopefully love. I want to deliver strong performances on screen and Shamshera is that perfect vehicle for me.I would like my filmography to be as diverse as possible and after showing my range as an actor in Chandigarh KareAashiqui and Shamshera, I can only hope that filmmakers would feel extremely confident to approach me with any challenging role. I have always wanted to win over their trust and be a part of interesting cinematic visions of powerful film-makers. I know that I will give it my everything to pull off any character that I’m approached with to play on screen. The best thing about our profession is that one can get to become so many characters and live so many lives. I want my journey in cinema to be filled with varied films and genres and characters that light up the screen to entertain audiences.
What would be your advice for the youth of India?
To the youth of my country – you are the real changemakers! And you have the power to bring in mass behavioural change in the society, improve awareness around TB and save millions of lives. Hence, I would appeal to the entire Bollywood fraternity, all my friends, fans and supporters to join this movement and together aim to eliminate TB from India.