Success of any film is driven by a wide number of factors, but more importantly by how much revenue it is able to generate. However, the mere objective of film is not just profit, it has also to contour the social message and drive people to be the change they are seeing. The former CEO and Founder of Yes Bank Rana Kapoor, often highlighted this need and presented media and entertainment knowledge banking solutions to prosper such ideas.
Rana Kapoor often stated that media has the power to influence, and that it must be used in a manner that is both entertaining yet impactful. The visionary while at the bank, thus, launched the social development arm of Yes Bank, Yes! i am the CHANGE. This subsidiary was made responsible to foster the nationwide social film project, in order to ignite inner transformation of youth.
The project began in 2013, and focused on making the short films with a maximum duration of up to 3 minutes. The visualisation for idea, however, had only to be taken from NGOs, social causes and everyday heroes. Under the programme, a 101-hour social filmmaking challenge was launched. This expanded to more than 13,00,000 youths across 2,500 cities and towns throughout India. The jury also included eminent film and media personalities, corporate leaders and educationists.
Kapoor’s thought process was very clear, he always wanted the youth to shape the better tomorrow for a nation. And boasted that energy, commitment and passion when channelised in the right direction, can do wonders.
The bank in order to boost participation also gave the guidance on making short films. It informed that outlining your idea is the foundation. The next steps involve exploring various features of your shooting equipment, understanding your subject, writing your script, making a storyboard of your film, making a production checklist, shooting your film, editing your film, and finally adding music and credits before sharing it.
The idea really flourished, with record participation within the three years of the launch. Numerically, more than 40,000 short films submitted. Interestingly, the best films were showcased in the film festivals, youth festivals and community events to spread awareness about such causes.
Among them a movie by the name Azaadi, grabbed huge attention for portraying how a woman who runs a rickshaw company inspired women at masses to fight patriarchy. And work towards fulfilling their dreams.
The impact of the initiative was highlighted by another movie named Play! Learn! Grow, where a young child noted how he learned using a tablet the skill to make a working model of a fan. This fan was made out of the waste items at home. This representation by iDream Education was awarded for their recognition of Yes! I am the CHANGE initiative.
In 2018, as Yes Bank launched the fifth edition of Yes! i am the CHANGE, it also announced a grant of Rs 7.5 crore in support of NGOs. The bank informed that it would aid as many as 25-30 NGOs working towards climate change, livelihood generation and gender equality.
“YES Foundation would support these NGOs with grant of Rs 7.5 crore, for scaling up and capacity building. Additionally, grantee organisations will also receive three-year mentoring to ensure onground tangible social impact,” the bank affirmed in its statement.
Yes Bank under Rana Kapoor perched a different approach and applied a knowledge vertical less known in the media and entertainment industry. The success of the plan endows to the reality that without the institute’s founder, such feats would not have been possible.
