'Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon' set to connect with 240 million young Indians

Popular edutainment show Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon had set a benchmark for Indian TV shows by using Artificial Intelligence to interact with young viewers.

New Delhi: Popular edutainment show Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon has not just set a benchmark for Indian TV shows by using Artificial Intelligence to interact with young audiences but the chat-bot has the potential to reach a majority of the 240 million young people in the country. Embedded on the Facebook page of Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon, the AI-powered Dr. Sneha Chatbot is designed to allow users to interact on issues pertaining to sexual and reproductive health.

Population Foundation of India’s Executive Director Poonam Muttreja says, “Dr. Sneha Chatbot aims at imparting education and creating a community of healthy young individuals who are aware of their options for better health. This chatbot is a part of the 360-degree approach adopted by us to reach out to maximum people along with transmedia extensions through IVRS, radio and community media. We are enhancing the reach and intended impact by engaging with first-generation digital media users in rural and semi-urban areas.”

"Within a month of its launch, the Dr. Sneha Chatbot has had more than a million conversations with 32,700 active users along with a high subscription rate of 68% who voluntarily agreed to receiving notifications and content from the Chatbot," Muttreja added.

The creator and director of the show Feroz Abbas Khan asserts, “The Dr. Sneha chatbot is an attempt to cover the last mile in the field of edutainment. Along with the idea of facilitating communication on issues pertaining to sexual and reproductive health, we also address questions which are raised in the show. With an increasing number of first-generation digital users, the Dr. Sneha Chatbot has the potential to reach over 200 million users in India.”

Supriya Sahu, Director General of broadcaster Doordarshan says, “Being the world's largest public broadcasting network covering even the remotest parts of India, it is our responsibility to ensure that meaningful content reaches the audience. With the popularity of Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon, we also had a window for the viewers to get back to us with their feedback on the IVRS. The previous seasons received 1.7 million calls from viewers and now, the chatbot is a welcome addition to extend the conversation with young people beyond the broadcast on DD.”.

The chatbot has been created with active inputs from adolescents in semi-urban and rural areas. It provides information through entertaining content such as videos, quizzes and stories, and also connects to national helplines of the government, including the toll-free family planning helpline number of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

The serial has been evaluated by independent agencies in Seasons 1 and 2 and now with Season 3 also an external evaluation is planned, apart from concurrent monitoring of its impact as the episodes are being broadcast. Some key evaluation results of Seasons 1 and 2 were: the proportion of men who responded that they found domestic violence acceptable came down by 20 percentage points after watching the serial; male viewers who understood the adverse consequences of early marriage after watching the show rose from 2% to 31% and the show was watched by an equal proportion of men and women, including 40% young people.

Guided by Indian and global experts in its design and roll out, Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon revolves around the inspiring journey of Dr. Sneha Mathur, a young doctor, who leaves behind her lucrative career in Mumbai and decides to work in her village. It focuses on Dr. Sneha’s crusade to ensure the finest quality of healthcare for all. Under her leadership, village women find their voices through collective action. The second season had special focus on youth along with women. In the third season Dr Sneha Mathur can be seen tackling fresh issues, including hygiene and sanitation and family planning with an empowering new slogan “Main Desh Ka Chehra Badal Doongee’’. Population Foundation of India is supported by the REC Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to produce the third season of this globally acclaimed edutainment show.