Pune: ‘Bébasi’-A Short Film Released at National Film Archives of India (NFAI)

Pune 24th March 2024: ‘Bebasi’- a short film about the importance and issues surrounding organ donation and organ transplant was released at NFAI, Law College Road. The film has been written and directed by Pune-based Raahul Panshikar, produced by Rahul’s Grafix, and has received special support from Fleetguard-Filtrum Pvt. Ltd.

Well-known actor, Mohan Joshi, and the entire cast of the film, Sanjay Kulkarni – President of Fleetguard, Niranjan Kirloskar – Managing Director of Fleetguard, Dr Mahesh Kotbagi – Director, Rotary International, Dr Sanjay Shinde – Inspector General of Crime Investigation Department (CID), . Milind Mohite – Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dr. Harish Raichur, Dr. Sneha Gharmalkar and other dignitaries were present on this occasion.

The level of public awareness regarding organ donation and organ transplants is at a very nascent stage today in India. People are not aware of the difficulties one faces during organ transplantation along with the government schemes available for the same. Through Bébasi, Panshikar proposes that aid for organ transplant procedures should be brought under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). That will make these procedures prohibitive costs, and accessible even to poor people.

‘Bebasi’ is the third sequel of Raahul Panshikar’s two earlier films- ‘Raakh’ and ‘Duvidha’. ‘Bebasi’ depicts the plight of the family of an honest man, Tatyasaheb Joglekar, who has dedicated his life to the education of poor children. Tatyasaheb, the main character in the short film, played by Mohan Joshi, mortgages his house to build a school for deprived children.

Tatyasaheb and his family are beaming with happiness when his son completes his engineering and gets employed. However, their happiness is short-lived when they learn about the serious ailment of their son and the need for an organ transplant. The story movingly reveals the family’s emotional turmoil after realizing that their child has only 3-4 weeks along with the positive portrayal of the help offered by some sensitive people in the society.

The movie delves into the efforts Tatyasaheb takes to include organ donation under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the follow-up he takes on government schemes to guide the deprived people of society to seek timely help. The options have been effectively conveyed to the audience, helping to create awareness of the issues and offering solutions about organ transplants and organ donation.

‘Bebasi’ also appeals to seek help from authentic hospitals, social organizations, and government organizations to curb the illegal organ transplant racket being run in the country.

Speaking at the film release, Raahul Panshikar said, “Films play an important role in social change, and with a topic like an organ transplant and organ donation we wanted to make sure we not only create awareness but also guide people towards the authentic options available as help”

Niranjan Kirloskar mentioned that lakhs of rupees are being spent on organ transplants and dialysis of patients. He expressed hope that like all technologies, these costs will also come down eventually. He added that awareness about organ donation was the need of the hour, which has been addressed in ‘Bebasi’.

Dr. Sanjay Shinde expressed his belief that this short film would help several people looking at organ transplant and donation as it covers all the necessary aspects.

Milind Mohite said, “After the law came into force in 1994, organ donation has gained momentum, and it is nice to see how ‘Bebasi’ had handled this topic bringing out the essence of humanity.”

To make an appeal to the people, Dr. Mahesh Kotbagi suggested opening multiple free dialysis centers and creating awareness about these to as many needy citizens as possible.

Dr. Raichur, who had been carrying out several initiatives on organ donation in Solapur, appreciated the message given through Bébasi and talked about several challenges in encouraging people to volunteer for organ donation.

During the release function, Raahul Panshikar made the introductory remarks and thanked the participants for their valuable contribution.