What do cervical cancer and short films have in common? The term ‘screening’ apparently. And we, at Streearogya Rural Foundation (SARF), screened a short film for rural women and screened some of them for cervical cancer this December, 2025.
‘Shant Shabdh Garbhachye,’ translating to ‘Silent words of the Womb,’ is not just any short film. It has been manifested into reality, thanks to the vision of SARF’s Founder Director, Dr Priya A Chauhan, to ramp up cervical cancer prevention in rural areas of Solapur, Maharashtra.
I, Dr Kusum Moray, the Executive Director of SARF, am writing this blog in a question-and-answer format for better clarity on this important topic.
What is cervical cancer?
It is the cancer of the cervix, which is the mouth of the uterus, and hence seen only in women.
So, is cervical cancer common?
One woman dies of cervical cancer every eight minutes in India!
Can death due to cervical cancer be prevented/delayed?
Yes, if detected at an early/ pre-cancerous stage.
How does one detect early?
Get a screening test (VIA, Pap test, and HPV-DNA test are some of the options available; the HPV-DNA test is the best) done by your healthcare provider, even if you have no symptoms and appear healthy. If the test is negative, repeat after 3-5 years.
Is the test scary?
The test involves an examination of the cervix (mouth of the uterus) through the woman’s vaginal orifice while she lies down on her back. A well-trained health professional can administer the test in under 5 minutes.
What happens if the test comes back positive?
If, unfortunately, the test comes back positive, further steps need to be discussed with a trained doctor or specialist.
So, why have most of the women in India not been screened for cervical cancer?
The cervical cancer screening rates in India are abysmal at 1.9%. The reasons for this are varied. Low investment in public healthcare, cervical cancer not being an implementation priority, with minimal to nil community-based activities to ramp up screening, no investment in an effective media campaign on this topic, a lack of infrastructure and supplies in public healthcare, a lack of trained personnel, and a lack of strong referral and follow-up mechanisms are some of the reasons for the poor screening rates. Cervical cancer is not yet a household name, like polio was, for instance. Most people still remember the tagline from the 90s: ‘ do boondh zindagi ke.’ The investment and commitment that went into campaigning for a polio-free India are what we need for cancer prevention in India. We also have a gender issue in cervical cancer; women are less likely to avail healthcare services on time, due to the patriarchal setup prevalent in our society.
Why a short film on cervical cancer?
SARF, as a non-profit organisation, explored the perspectives of rural women regarding preventive healthcare services in 2023-2025. And we often encountered these responses — ‘I am alright, I have no problems. I have no symptoms, so why should I get a test or do anything?’ Please note, these women are not to blame; it is the onus of the system to radically shift this perspective, and we need powerful tools to do that. In the digital age, we thought a short film would be a good place to start.
We were fortunate to collaborate with a talented Marathi filmmaker, Mr Sandeep Jadhav, who beautifully created ‘Shant Shabdh Garbhachye’ for us. We screened the short film for the first time in the government Sub-Centre at Pathari village in December 2025. And the film did inspire some women to get themselves tested right away. Subsequently, we will continue screening this short film in different settings and villages in the region we serve.
This film is a dedication to the 80,000 women who lost their lives to cervical cancer last year. Many of these deaths could have been prevented.
The film was created with a vision to prevent as many cervical cancer deaths as possible by screening and early diagnosis.
Watch the film here, now available on YouTube; get your basics right, spread the word, and get yourself tested if you are a woman. If you are a man watching or reading this, please egg on the women in your home to get tested.
This film is a call to act. And to act as fast as possible.
3 thoughts on “Screening a short film for ramping up screening for cervical cancer”
Wonderful work by the team .Very much informative and creates so much awareness amongst all .
Excellent and most needed initiative on awareness and advocacy! Kudos to the team!
Thanks for sharing this Kusum.
Indeed it has been made with sensitivity and complete cultural relevance.
While i followed the English subtitles, I enjoyed revisiting Marathi after years , I grew up in Mumbai.
I do hope showing this film widely makes a difference locally.
I remember as a registrar in CHAD, we had films like this made to highlight the importance of family planning , which was a huge issue in those times. Thhad impact in bringing the issue to light for large audiences, and intergenerational exposure.
Much much energy as you go forward and good luck on the way.
I am struggling to see how PAP smear samples can be collected and read quickly and efficiently with adequate sample preservation , at low cost. At teh moment , we have no support from the governmet end.
Much love to the creators of the movies and the inspiration behind it. May your message of women reclaiming care for themselves, spread far and wide.
Roopa