MUMBAI: Actress and activist, former beauty queen Celina Jaitley, will star in United Nation’s ‘Bollywood style’ global human rights campaign launching on April 30
The United Nations (UN) is all set to release a ‘Bollywood style Human Rights campaign’ across the world on April 30. The campaign targets the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) community even though it does not use the label LGBT specifically, but calls itself the Free & Equal campaign. It is a campaign that features a video focusing on a Free and Equal message and is promoted by the UN’s slew of Equality Champions such as Ricky Martin, Daniela Mercury, Grammy-winning band Fun and recent Grammy winners Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. The Bollywood connection comes in the form of actor Celina Jaitley – who is also a UN Equality Champion. She has sung a track called Uthey Sab Ke Kadam, which has been remixed by Neeraj Sridhar of Bombay Vikings fame. The new version of the song also has English lyrics.
Speaking to sunday mid-day Celina said, `As UN Equality Champion I have to work towards creating awareness about violence and discrimination against the LGBT community worldwide.` Asked about her work, Celina said, `I have been a gay rights activist and have worked with the community on a number of occasions. Here, I have sung this very well-known track.` So does she have singing experience? `No, but for this song, I received vocal support from Neeraj Sridhar who has sung the male part,` she smiled.
Campaigning from Mumbai to New York
Celina says post the launch in India, she will fly off to New York. `I will fly out of Mumbai on May 1, where I will meet other UN Equality Champions,` she said. While Celina had been part of a couple of gay parades, which start off from the August Kranti Maidan in South Mumbai, she was not seen this year. `I was not there at the parade as I am married and currently based in Austria. Living overseas and with time constraints (I am a mother of twin boys), I cannot be here every time there is an event, though I continue to be in touch with the community and their problems,` she replied.