Shoojit Sircar directs digital film on study pressure

Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar has once again lent his creativity to the second edition of 'Release The Pressure' campaign via a digital film that tells the story of the exam pressure that youths go through because of parents.

In 2017, Mirinda, the orange flavoured sparkling drink from PepsiCo came up with the first edition of the digital film drawing attention to this issue for the first time. With the second edition of the campaign, the brand promises to make the voice louder by bringing to the forefront the issue of constant comparisons by parents.

It also pegs it as a cause of depression and suicidal tendencies amongst students.

"Stress, pressure, tension are unfortunately words which have become a part of the daily vocabulary of teenagers across India. There is undue pressure on students and as a society, we need to wake up and take responsibility.

"The next generation of world leaders will emerge only when we are able to give them space to grow, learn well and flourish without putting any undue pressure on them," Sircar said in a statement.

Inspired by focused group discussions conducted across the country with students, the film hopes to be a mirror for society and aims to bring attention to students' distress.

It features real teenagers and focuses on the issues of parental pressure, and what happens when parents constantly compare their kids to peers, neighbours and siblings. The film aims to make parents realize how situations of constant comparison can lead to lower self-esteem amongst teenagers.

Vipul Prakash, Senior Vice President, Beverage Category, PepsiCo India, said: "The campaign stems from an insight that homes turn into pressure zones as exam season approaches.

"Parents have good intentions at heart but sometimes their motivation methods end up being stressful for their kids. Continuing the momentum of the first edition of the campaign, our goal this year is to help people understand and acknowledge that constant comparison is detrimental to a student's performance."