Actors at the mahurat of the telefilm in Sonari, Jamshedpur, on Tuesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur-based director Shiv Kumar Prasad got his new film on the floors on Tuesday. Its USP? The heroine is the unborn daughter denied the right to be born.

The aim of the one-hour telefilm Janani, produced by Jamshedpur-based R Motion Pictures at Rs 4 lakh, is to raise awareness against female foeticide. Doordarshan, which liked the script, has agreed to air it upon its completion.

“I hope the film helps change mindsets against the medical termination of female foetuses,” said Prasad.

Swetabh Suman, a Calcutta-based income tax commissioner, who gave the mahurat shot at Sonari’s Kagalnagar, has enacted the role of a doctor and penned the lyrics. Other actors, all from Jamshedpur, include Kanhaiya Lal as the father who does not want girl children, Shivani Singh as his traumatised wife forced to undergo two abortions, Rupneet Kaur as her sole surviving daughter and Saheba, who acts as a reporter, takes the plot forward.

“India’s current sex ratio is skewed towards males, which is abnormal. We see gender bias in almost every household. Female foeticide is a crime practised by parents who feel that a daughter is a liability,” said the director.

Suman endorsed Prasad’s views. “The film’s subject is excellent. When I heard the script, the words of the lyrics came to me spontaneously. I have written two songs from my heart,” he said.

Shooting will take place at Sonari, XLRI, Tata Main Hospital, Bistupur and Sakchi police station, among other locations.

Prasad, who earlier dealt with subjects such as leprosy and cow slaughter and acted in films Black Friday, Kranti and a host of Bhojpuri films, summed up: “For us film-makers, it is important to take the onus to spread awareness on social issues. I have made a lot of movies before but this film is very special.”