MUMBAI: ‘Talaaq, talaaq, talaaq’. Three words that have shaken the nation. Galat, Galat, Galat. Three words that question a redundant practice that sets a progressive, emerging millennial India back by a thousand years.  Sending out a strong message of gender equality and demanding that Muslim women have an equal say in the eventuality that their marriage should reach the stage of divorce, Zee TV launched Ishq Subhan Allah, a show that not only puts the spotlight on Triple Talaaq but contrasts the different schools of thought that interpret the same religion very differently. While the show received a stellar opening and grabbed audience attention, Ishq Subhan Allah gave its leading lady – young Zara Siddiqui an opportunity to voice her opinions – not as just another TV show character but a lay person with a YouTube channel of her own, asking the nation to pay heed to her requests about the unjustness of the Triple Talaaq system. Zee TV launched ‘Galat Galat Galat’, a marketing campaign which drives conversations across the country about the misinterpretations of Islam, the callous misuse of Triple Talaaq and urges audiences to re-examine their own perspective on religion and bring an element of rationality to the way they understand and apply religion to their lives.  The campaign is a reflection of Zara’s quest for religion 2.0 – one wherein we interpret religious teachings in order to move forward and grow in life.

As Ishq Subhan Allah mirrors the collective voice of the Indian society, this extensive marketing campaign is creating awareness about Zara’s nazariya which resonates strongly with a large segment of the Muslim community. While ATL activities like OOH, print inserts in Urdu publications, radio spots and aggressive outreach across TV channels, in markets like Mumbai, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh communicate Zara’s nazariya through hard-hitting creatives, a subtler social media strategy has been gaining prominence amongst the online community. On YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, a specially created profile for Zara Siddiqui has been sharing stories about her point of view and interpretation of Islam derived from the Holy Quran. The videos posted on these social media accounts have been raising pertinent questions aimed at provoking the viewers’ thought processes while driving conversations about the Triple Talaaq custom. Zara’s videos on her YouTube channel have received a thunderous response, with many influencers resonating with her ideologies and applauding her efforts at raising a voice against age-old practices, leading her to trend on Twitter for more than 4 hours at a stretch!

Zee TV, Deputy Business Head, Deepak Rajadhyaksha said, “Innovation in outreach has been the key to our marketing strategy. Be it Kaleerein’s #ChangeHerNot campaign, Aap Ke Aa Jaane Se’s Licence to Love campaign or the most recent Zara Ka Nazariya outreach for Ishq Subhan Allah, we have supported our on-air narratives by a strong viewer engagement and outreach program which drives home the true message deeply embedded in our storytelling. While conversations around the custom of Triple Talaaq are gaining momentum across the country, we have an outspoken and modern Zara who, in her own simplistic ways, asks questions that spark curiosity and nudge viewers to question belief systems which have existed for generations. A simple question like ‘Why can’t a woman have a say in annulling a marriage if her assent is important in sealing the marriage?’ puts the focus on pertinent issues like gender equality within the Muslim community. Our campaign strives to encourage many women like Zara to question norms, take charge of their destiny and curate a future of their own making. The feedback that the Zara Ka Nazariya campaign has been receiving is very encouraging and it tells us that we are on the right path towards raising a voice and prompting change.”

Ishq Subhan Allah is the story of Lucknow-based Kabeer (Adnan Khan) and Zara (Eisha Singh), both devout followers of Islam, whose different interpretations of the Holy Quran becomes a bone of contention between the two. While Kabeer, a young Maulvi, is more traditional and orthodox in his understanding of the religion, Zara is well-educated and questions belief by way of logic. While their contrasting ideologies has been the cause of some friction, a turn of events sees Kabeer and Zara getting married through a traditional niqaah ceremony. But a roadblock soon approaches their lives as Zara demands equality in the Triple Talaaq system deeming one-sided annulment as unjust. Will her voice be heard?

Soon after Zee TV’s brand refresh campaign announcing its core philosophy Aaj Likhenge Kal that instantly struck a chord with its heartwarming films, each of the channel’s subsequent campaigns building each of its new offerings – be it #LicenceToLove promoting Aapke Aa Jane Se, #ChangeHerNot for Kaleerein or ‘Zara Ka Nazariya’ for Ishq Subah Allah – have resonated beautifully with the Indian middle class, an indicator of Zee TV’s hold on the pulse of its audience.