BBC's film to promote condom use chosen to be exhibited in Paris art show

The much popular 2008 campaign for Condom Normalisation by the BBC World Service Trust, which urged people not to shy away from talking about condom usage, has now found international recognition.

The show, which explores Indian society through the perspective of more than 50 Indian and French artists, will be on till September 19. The objective is to promote communication between the two cultures. The show takes a look at the changes that the Indian society has gone through, and various pertaining issues. The French artists invited to participate in the exhibition also show what brought them to India the first time.

The film is being exhibited along with work done by eminent Indian artists such as Atul Dodiya, Bharti Kher, Dayanita Singh, Jitesh Kallat, Krishnaraj Chonat, Nalini Malani, Sarnath Banerjee, Subodh Gupta, Sunil Gawde and Vivan Sundaram, among others.

Commenting on the development, Radharani Mitra, national creative director and executive producer, BBC World Service Trust, tells afaqs, "We are thrilled because a condom film is being seen as a comment on today's India, and also being appreciated in terms of its artistic merit. This is quite huge. It feels great to know that you are hanging out with the likes of Picasso, Matisse, Braque, et al."

The film was part of a two-year project that used mass media to make condoms more acceptable. The campaign was produced by the BBC World Service Trust, funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and adopted by the Government of India.

The focus of the campaign was to get men to talk about condoms as this has a positive effect on its use. It had to position condoms as a product that men use to show they are responsible and care about themselves and their families. The confidence required to say the word 'condom' was linked to being a 'real man'.