At a time where mental health is rarely ever discussed or given the importance it deserves, any effort that does so must be applauded. Mansha Pasha’s latest venture aims to highlight a common problem that is faced by numerous women all over the world but is addressed and acknowledged by only a few.
In collaboration with the social welfare organization, Elaj Trust, the Chalay Thay Saath star has recently released her second directorial venture. The video aims to cause awareness and create a dialogue around Postpartum Depression (PPD), a common condition for women after childbirth. Not only has Mansha acted in the short public service message, but she has written and directed the short video as well. Starring Mansha opposite Fahad Mirza, the video shows the story of an excited couple who can’t wait for the arrival of their baby. However, once the baby is born, the mother is suddenly withdrawn and unhappy and both husband and wife don’t quite understand what’s going on.
Something Haute spoke to Mansha regarding this much needed collaboration. “My friend Jibran (Nasir) works for Elaj Trust so he approached me for this venture. We did a lot of research and discovered that talking heads don’t have the kind of impact that is needed for an issue such as this. So, we decided to create a narrative and use an emotional plug to get the message across.”
Mansha also discovered various facts about Postpartum Depression. “For instance, many women don’t even know what PPD is. Such women go through a lot in their lives because their husbands and in-laws expect them to be happy after delivering the baby but they don’t understand that women go through severe hormonal changes right after giving birth which sometimes gives them depression.” Luckily, there is treatment easily available for it, but the idea is that PPD needs to first be taken seriously.
Speaking in detail about her experience with directing, Mansha revealed that she is quite enjoying the role of a director. “I would love to pursue direction later on in my career but of course, I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew at the moment. Direction is very difficult work and I’m sort of learning with these short videos right now.”
Read: Mansha Pasha addresses the hypocrisy of artists in Ramzan
The actor turned director also revealed that she is in talks with Elaj Trust for the remainder of the videos. “This is a series of public service messages that aim to create awareness and dialogues around issues that affect women and their health. We’ve agreed to do 6 videos; two have already been released, we’re currently planning the remaining 4.”
Mansha’s first directorial video created awareness around the topic of child marriages.
https://www.facebook.com/elajtrust/videos/1982377118673089/?hc_ref=ARSLbnKRX03I7HAxqGVe7ETe-HPr1pnkCL98ryu1SHYAuqHhpGLyO769h-kCcZJ7NfQ&pnref=story
