Bicchuz

WaterAid has collaborated with the creative duo – filmmaker Nuhash Humayun and musician Pritom Hasan – to launch a creative campaign through a web series titled ‘Bichhuz’, surrounding the importance of handwashing with soap amongst youth as the first line of defense during this pandemic.

Teaser | Bicchuz

The story circles around four rebellious friends, who are hard-to-convince with tranditional means of awareness communications in order to adapt good hygiene behaviour, particularly handwashing with soap. ‘Bondhu’, a puppet, tries unconventional ways to pursue these four friends into good hygiene habits. The four characters in the series is played by members of the Tokai Theater and Pritom Hasan plays as Bondhu’s voice. The series takes audiences on a journey with all five characters as they learn the importance of handwashing with humor, sarcasm, and challenges surrounding many existing taboos.

Nuhash Humayun & Pritom Hasan (Left to Right)
Nuhash Humayun & Pritom Hasan (Left to Right)

Nuhash and Pritom are not only a part of ‘Bichhuz’ as the director and musician respectively but are also the advisory board members of the Youth for SDG 6 platform. Apart from collaboration through this series, the duo have been supporting WaterAid raise awarness amongst youth to ensure handwashing becomes a life long habit for everyone, everywhere.

Bichhuz Episode 1 | PIZZA TIME 

Hasin Jahan, Country Director of WaterAid explains this initiative by sharing, “Handwashing with soap has become more important than ever. We are happy that youth icons like Nuhash and Pritom are supporting us reaching the youth segment of the country. WaterAid promotes handwashing with soap a lifelong habit– not just now but always! Youth are catalysts for change and they can change handwashing with soap as a 'norm of the society' and promote it as a practice for their families and their communities – leading to a healthier and safer Bangladesh”.

Bichhuz Episode 2 | Bondhu vs Jamal

At the launch of the campaign, Nuhash Humayun shared, “We have to focus on the pulse of youth to be able to convince them into practicing something. We cannot simply send out messages to them from miles apart and expect them to start believing in or practicing as told. Today’s youth confide in understanding things on a deeper level rather than being told what to do. We need to speak to them in their language – be that unconventional, rebellious or completely unexpected. As a director by profession and an advisor to the Youth for SDG 6 platform, this project is very close to my heart. I believe it will bring about a wave of positive hygiene habits and fulfill our main aim of development.”

BICHHUZ EP 03 | The Puppet

Pritom Hasan stated, “I wanted to do something different and something out of the usual that will challenge me and the nature of works that I have done till now. The role of the puppet, who we lovingly call ‘Bondhu’, has been an exciting journey for me. It has required concentrated dedication and days of prolonged training. We all have the power to convince people through music, humour and sarcasm. Its what brings people together and binds them. This campaign with Nuhash has been exhilarating as usual. We have produced numerous projects together but ‘Bichhuz’ will always be special. Because ‘Bichhuz’ has been developed for a cause, for people not to forget ‘Haath Dhuwa’ as one of the most effective shields to protect us and the entire country from the coronavirus pandemic, now and forever.”

Bichhuz Episode 4 | Germ King

‘Bichhuz’ episodes is available on WaterAid Bangladesh’s official Facebook page, YouTube channel, Instagram, and Twitter handles from the launch of the first episode on 11 May 2020 onwards.

WaterAid launched #FightCoronaUnited campaign in March 2020 to support people and communities across the country through online and on-ground awareness activities. ‘Bichhuz’ is a part of this campaign, and the support WaterAid receives from Nuhash Humayun and Pritom Hasan as advisers to WaterAid’s youth wing. platform.