Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar's remarkable journey didn't end after Bombay talkies, as she has collaborated with Ogaan Cancer Foundation by directing, scripting and conceptualizing a Public Service Announcement (PSA) titled 'Because My World Is Not The Same Without You' in a bid to create awareness for breast cancer. The PSA stars actors Abhay Deol, Arjun Rampal, Farhan Akhtar, Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor get candid while pledging their support for the awareness campaign. The five men speak about the 'women' in their lives and what they mean to them. Cinematographer Carlos Catalan has shot the film against a black and white background to evoke a documentary feel.
Talking on her website for the foundation, about why she chose to go with these celebrities, Zoya explains, "I have shot with only men because I believe cancer is not gender specific. If a person has cancer in the family, everyone takes that journey with them."
Sonam Kapoor, who is the Brand ambassador of Ogaan Cancer Foundation, had requested her fans for a special gift on her birthday, i.e. to donate for the breast cancer awareness cause which she firmly believes in after recently losing her beloved aunt Mona Kapoor who was diagnosed with cancer. The diva considers spreading breast cancer awareness a privilege.
Just like everyone else even Ranbir Kapoor is extremely supportive for this initiative; he confesses, "The credit for me being a part of this film has to go to Zoya. She spoke about it very passionately and I was happy to help create awareness about breast cancer."
As for Shahid Kapoor, when he heard about ELLE and Zoya creating together a film on breast cancer awareness, he considered it to be a good initiative. "When I heard that it was ELLE and Zoya doing this film, I thought it was a nice initiative. It's important for women to be aware and its important this film is being made. I feel very thankful that I was called to be a part of it."
Abhay Deol too expresses his concern for the cause saying "Cancer in general, is quite an epidemic around the world right now. And breast cancer is very common, so to begin with, it's very important to raise awareness about this issue."
According to Farhan Akhtar, "It's dangerous to live with the mindset that cancer will never happen to me. All it takes is a little time and effort to make sure it doesn't. It's not difficult to do a regular check up. What will be difficult is, knowing that you could have avoided it from becoming potentially life threatening."
