Farhan Akthar's MARD campaign

Farhan Akhtar is a master of all trades. National Award winning Director, Rockstar, brilliant actor, is now turning into a crusader for a social cause. His social initiative MARD (Men Against Rape and Discrimination) is an attempt on the part of the male fraternity to guarantee the women in this country a safer society and unbiased approach towards them. With the number of rape cases and gender based violence increasing on women, Farhan aptly decided to use his popularity to mend the prevalent flawed attitudes in the country which brand women as second class citizens.

Farhan who has been obsessively busying himself over the cause has teamed up with IPL in a big way. While some one might rubbish it as a publicity stunt for his upcoming film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Farhan's concern is evidently earnest. Expecting a pyramid effect, Farhan is persistent that more men become advocates of the cause and help change attitudes of their likes.

Today Farhan Akhtar found backing from his colleagues in Bollywood, actors Priety Zinta and Shah Rukh Khan who came out in support of MARD posing for its posters. While Shah Rukh Khanis seen sporting a moustache, his look is conspicuously reminiscent of the one he had in his 2005 film Paheli.

Priety Zinta who has been away from mainstream Bollywood for a while, is cozying up in her space as the team owner of Kings XI Punjab. In the picture, Farhan tweeted, Priety looks her bubbly old self as she laughingly points to the MARD logo on Farhan's T-shirt. Sporting the MARD moustache like SRK, Farhan is deliberately made to expose for the picture by Priety.

Though the pictures are extremely striking and speaks about frolic, the issue is a complex and serious one. MARD fundamentally places high expectations on the men folk to protect, cherish and respect women and shun the chauvinistic attitudes which have seeped in after generation of domination on women.

Farhan's Akhtar MARD has come close to actor Aamir Khan's philanthropic work as a social crusader. While Aamir's concerns are scattered and manifold, Farhan is single mindedly focusing hard on the basic postulate of MARD ' "drive home the message that women need to be respected."