MUMBAI: As the world adapts to the new normal of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ShemarooMe, the video streaming platform of Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd, has collaborated with the Indian embassy in Paris to connect with Indian nationals and people of Indian origin in France with a view to reinforce their eternal bond and love for Bollywood.
Following a campaign similar to that in the US launched in association with the consulate general of India in New York, ShemarooMe - #SociallyDistantVirtuallyConnected, the OTT platform partnered with the embassy of India in Paris to organise a watch party on 5 April 2020, of the iconic comedy film, Chupke Chupke. It, thereafter, offered two weeks’ of free subscription of ShemarooMe, particularly to ensure that interested audiences could keep themselves entertained when they are locked down within the confines of their residences practising social distancing and quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The initiative of live streaming of the film received an overwhelming response with well over 26,000 Bollywood enthusiasts glued to the event. For the embassy of India in Paris and ShemarooMe, this was a perfect way to celebrate and unite people through their love for Bollywood during these unprecedented challenging times. One expects that this initiative will gain further popularity in the coming few days and more and more enthusiasts will avail themselves of the opportunity to see Bollywood and other regional film classics over the upcoming fortnight.
Embassy of India in Paris charge d’affairs Ankan Banerjee commented, “As we stand together to combat the spread and negative impact of the novel Coronavirus, I am pleased to see the love and solidarity that individuals are expressing across the globe. While we religiously follow social distancing, at the same time, we should also make efforts to unite to strengthen the human bonds through a virtual connection. This notable initiative by ShemarooMe to bring people together as one big family and watch its content with a two-week free subscription will further bind the Indian families closer together. We greatly admire SheemarooMe’s unique offer and look forward to watching the iconic movie Chupke Chupke through this newly created virtual connect to our favourite Bollywood.”
Embassy of India in Paris minister (consular) Shrila Datta Kumar noted, “With tough times ahead for all of us, we need to find newer incentives to keep the morale high and keep ourselves motivated and happy. I appreciate ShemarooMe’s unique initiative to connect us virtually to Bollywood and other Indian regional movies. As we practice social distancing, two weeks of free subscription of the App, along with hosting a watch party for Bollywood lovers, the all-time favourite classic movie Chupke Chupke, will surely connect across all age groups. It is a laudable effort by Shemaroo to bring the people together through this campaign #SociallyDistantVirtuallyConnected, in these difficult times.”
