मुखौटे, सच का चेहरा, 17 अगस्त से दूरदर्शन के राष्ट्रीय चैनल पर प्रत्येक मंगलवार प्रात: 09.30 से 10.00 बजे प्रसारित हो रहा है। यह धारावाहिक एचआईवी एड्स से संबंधित मिथ्या सामाजिक धारणाओं से दर्शकों को अवगत कराने के साथ ही उन्हें इसके वैज्ञानिक पक्ष से अवगत कराने का प्रयास है।

Mukhaute, masks, is an innovative attempt to remove the many layers of stigma and ignorance that cloak the real threat of HIV-AIDS. Devised in the popular serialized format, it’s a Series targeted at the adult population.  Conceptualised & scripted by Seema Muralidhara, it is rooted in her deep involvement with the issue.  It is her understanding that the real danger of  HIV-AIDS lies in the  stigma and fear psychosis that shroud it.

HIV-AIDS is becoming an alarming threat for the country, yet awareness levels remain dismal.  Since, this team of professionals had been involved in health and social programming for a long time, it understand that the biggest challenge in creating HIV AIDS awareness is to make people accept programmes around HIV. The need of the hour was to cloak the scientific facts in a popular format where the human drama would break the acceptance barrier.

Popular television artists joined hands. Bhairavi Raichura of Balika Vadhu and Hum Paanch fame. Harshada Khanvilkar and Rajendra Chawla of Astitva and Kiran Karmakar of Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki agreed to join hands. Nandita Mehra, a sensitive director of Uttaran (Colours) and Astitva (Zee TV) fame  took up the challenging assignment with passion.

The 13 episode series took a systematic approach by tackling issues from Modes of transmission, vertical transmission, no high-risk-group, just high-risk- behavior, HIV is not AIDS and AIDS is not death, Living with HIV, etc. were first identified. And then stories wee woven around each core communication.

The protagonist of the Series is Arti, a young- passionate-trained social worker who works towards educating children of the underprivileged classes.  She is dramatically exposed to the reality of a family living with HIV through her interaction with the child who is not allowed to come out and mingle with the other children. Arti confronts the parents, Raju (played by Rajendra  Chawla) and Nanda (Harshada Khanvilkar).  Another core character is the doctor-counsellor who works passionately to help his patients.

The Series is so devised that every three episodes a new character is introduced to bring forth another aspect of HIV/AIDS. An affluent housewife who tests positive, the danger of unprotected sex with strangers, an MSM who wants to end his life but learns to live.

There is no compromise of the scientific communication. How to test for HIV, transmission modes, mother-to-child transmission, etc are all discussed and demystified.

Several eminent organizations have provided backup and factual research. The Family Planning Association of India, the Federation of Gynaecologists and Obstetric Societies of India,  Indian Health Organisation and the Vatsalya Foundation, to name a few.