Navya Naveli Nanda: I’m Glad To Be Playing My Part In Creating A Healthier, Safer And More Equal Ecosystem For Women In India

Amitabh Bachchan’s granddaughter Navya Naveli Nanda has steered clear of films but has been a star on social media. Her podcast ‘What The Hell Navya’ garnered immense popularity in its first season. She is all set to come up with the second season of the podcast soon.

Simultaneously, Navya Naveli has tied up with popular brand Tinkle for a comic book launch for her initiative Project Naveli. In the special comic book, there will be 4 stories around a central theme of women’s empowerment such as Legal Awareness, Entrepreneurship, Mental Health and Education. These are also the four pillars of Project Naveli. Each story will be showcased by popular Tinkle characters.

Talking to Prateek Sur, Navya Naveli opens up on how comics are still a relevant source of entertainment, how social media is taking over the reading of comics, why she picked up Tinkle for such a niche initiative, and what women empowerment is in the truest sense. Excerpts:

Why have you chosen Tinkle comics or comics as a medium as a central theme of women empowerment?

I think we have all grown up reading Tinkle comics, they have an incredible legacy and history of many many years, so when I had the opportunity to collaborate with them it was an instant yes! I also think it is important to use different mediums to engage around important topics, and comics is a great way to start these conversations with a younger audience.

What according to you is women empowerment in a true sense?

Freedom of choice. To be whoever you want to be! The freedom to choose for yourself.

According to you, is India still lagging behind in women empowerment or has it progressed?

I think India has made a lot of progress in the field of women empowerment, over the last few years we have seen great examples of projects and initiatives that have come up to support and protect women. There is a lot more that we have to do, and I am glad to be a part of that journey, by playing my part in creating a healthier, safer and more equal ecosystem for women in India.

Comics as a medium have a certain age group. So, don’t you feel it won’t reach the larger audience?

The magic with Tinkle is that yes, they definitely cater to a younger audience, but for parents and other audiences, it has a lot of nostalgic value. Therefore, we also hope that more people will pick up the comics to read them, and hopefully relate to some of the themes we are discussing in them.

We all have read Tinkle comics while growing up, and we all have our own favourite characters. Who is your favourite Tinkle character?

I have always been a Suppandi fan, but I have to say that my new favourite character that they introduced is WingStar, she’s awesome!

In today’s day and age, kids have started being on social media so much that they barely have time to read comics and enjoy the fun in that. Do you feel social media is killing the fun of comics that we probably had while growing up?

I think social media has brought about a lot of change in the way we consume content, especially books and comics. However, our comics will also be available on the Tinkle App to read, so it is available through e-versions too. But, I think the feeling of holding a comic or book in your hand is irreplaceable.

What next can we see coming from your end?

Lots more exciting things are coming, but something I am looking forward to is Season 2 of my podcast ‘What The Hell Navya’!