When Vinay Bharadwaj lost a loved one to cancer last year, it devastated him. But it also made the Singapore-based professional determined to create more awareness about the disease. “If I talk about cancer, no one is going to listen. And so, I decided to talk to achievers from different walks of life, have them speak about their journeys and also talk about cancer,” said the 32-year-old.
Last month, in eight days, Mr. Bharadwaj completed 19 interviews. Six more have been shot since, and will together make up the Chennai series to be aired on his YouTube channel, ‘Let’s Talk with Vinay’ from July onwards
At the launch of the trailer of the series on Monday, vocalist Sudha Raghunathan, who was one of those on the show, said that she hoped the series would traverse barriers to reach people and show them that cancer was a condition that could be conquered.
Neerja Malik, a two-time cancer conqueror, spoke about the time she was told she only had a 25 per cent chance of surviving her disease which sparked her decision to live life to the fullest.
Hotelier Nina Reddy, who also features, spoke about how much she enjoyed the talk and how it brought up her innermost emotions. Other guests on the show also participated in the event.
The series also features eminent personalities such as V. Shanta, chairperson, Cancer Institute, Adyar, squash player Joshna Chinappa, RJ Balaji, actor Vivek, pianist Anil Srinivasan, lyricist Madhan Karky, environmentalist Arun Krishnamurthy and many others.
A majority of those interviewed said they knew someone who had had cancer, said Mr. Bharadwaj. Actors Surya and Kalki Koechlin are on his wish list of interviewees, as is the Chief Minister of the State. Chennai is the second city for the series – the first was Bengaluru, and up next may be Hyderabad, he said.
“My message is: don’t take cancer lightly – it can happen to anyone. And if detected early, your life can be saved. I want as many young people as possible to watch the shows and if even five of them go for regular check-ups, then this project would have achieved its goal,” he said.
Achievers from different walks of life talk about their achievements and also the disease
