Why Satyameva Jayate scores
At the best of times, I’m a contrarian and a cynic. If I know any number of people like something, I’ll be most inclined to hate it. In fact, the most fervent their ardour, the more repellent it becomes to me.
So when I heard, or rather, was forced to listen (until it was drilled into my skull and I could recite the commercial in sleep) to how Bollywood’s thinking star was coming up with a new show that was going to deal with societal evils, I was partly dismissive and largely indifferent. Until, it became a runaway hit. Words like “genius,” “India’s Oprah”, and “tear-jerker” began to float like jetsam across cyber space. I don’t like my Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, newspapers, radio, TV and owl post being hijacked by one person. Any person. Least of all, by Bollywood’s self-anointed high priest.
Even before I watched the show, I was prepared to dismiss it. Female foeticide, yes. Since we never knew that was problem. Until Aamir Khan held you down in a hypnotic stare, cried a little, and gave you the dope, that is. Never mind all the ground-level activists, the journalists, the government officials who’ve been screaming hoarse about it. They’re just professionals, pffft, what do they know? And besides, they are all corrupt and have no credibility.
And there’s Aamir Khan, who’s “doing something”. Making an honest living of Rs.3 crore per episode. And… and… fighting for change. By asking all of us conscientious people to do what we do best — text message our opinions. Which of course, will solve everything. That he talks about the perception, ill treatment, need for empowerment of women on a channel that just happens to have rung in the culture of showcasing, promoting and cementing every type of female stereotype there exists in this country, is of course, incidental.
Don’t get me wrong. Aamir Khan is not the one with whom I have a bone to pick. As PR goes, it doesn’t better than this. He comes out being the hero, gets paid handsomely to do it, and any collateral impact he might have on societal change, is more points to him. You can’t blame the guy for being an excellent strategist.
No. What I find shameful is that we have come down to this. That we can’t see it for the obvious marketing ploy that it is and are lapping it up so excitedly forgetting it is really only entertainment. A best-ditch attempt to capture a Sunday-morning slot. So desperate and eager for role models that we are, we’ll clutch at anyone that looks like a hero.
More importantly, we’ve come to a stage where we need a celebrity to dumb things down and talk to us as though we were mentally-challenged snails. Knowing is not doing. But it is the first step in getting there. Nothing on the show, not fact or figure, case or incident, was a revelation out of public domain. Yet, every time a stat was revealed, the shock and outrage on the faces of people on the programme made you pause and wonder just how many more there were out there for who any, or all of this, was news.
So, for me, that is the real threat. This baffling ignorance. This sense of morbid novelty about the very people we live amongst. As if we really did not know. Or care. Until now. But we do now because Aamir is saying we should. Because we are all about “doing something”.
If this show helps enlighten chronic Star Plus watching minds, we couldn’t ask for more. But if educated, intelligent, urban-dwelling, English-speaking, young people are awed by this show, it’s a reason to worry. It means that we actually need it.
The writer works for Postnoon.
Category: Opinion
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I like to look at the positive side of Satyamev Jayate, I believe Aamir Khan is definitely making an impact on somebody who needs this kinda show right now, so all the very best to the superstar who is bring awareness through his stardom & by the way not many so called superstars are doing it so why not Aamir….
I don understand in what way you are contributing to the nation via opposing people who try to take at least baby steps in the right direction.Ms Cynic Padmini try to heighten people’s spirits and try to bring solutions,love,joy,hope,wisdom in to other people’s life.Don’t add to the problems yourself by being a cynic and criticizing positive initiatives… Who knows what magic this show could weave in due course (even if trivial)…If small ripples could turn into a wave and wave into an ocean it would be amazing… Dont try to stop the formation of ripples itself…
And there is no guarantee that education brings moral values and ethics in a person… Just because a person is urban and educated it need not make him informed and wise. For eg in the 3rd epsiode of Satyamev Jayete’s Dowry Harassment show, a lady from Delhi who faced harassment got married to a Software Professional earning 65000 $ per year… So urbanisation,education and being modern(and a non chronic star plus viewer) does not guarantee wisdom or even knowledge regarding important statistics ( as most youngsters are busy buliding their own lives in this stressful world).Atleast through this show they ‘ll know whats happening around them and how much of that evil resides within them (may be in shades). It can provide them a moment to reflect,regret and act…
So Hats off to Satyamev Jayate Team’s Efforts and thumbs down to you mam for being so cynical and promoting negative vibes !
hi!!!!!!!!! i am taranjit kaur from kharagpure. i m ur big fan. i like ur show very much. help us. i wish u will succed in it. best wishes of mine with u.
I agree when you say that lasting change in society is not possible by a single Sunday morning show.
But hey, in a society that has not problems watching crappy saas bahu serials and reality shows any effort to change the situation is good.
I would like to add that he is not a “self anointed high priest”. If he decides to act in a movie like “Taare Zameen Par”; he sets an example to the rest of the film industry. No one is stopping the rest of the film industry from making films on sensitive topics. He has differentiated himself from the Kumars, Kapoors and Khans.
For that he deserves credit.
Thanks for the article…
At least he is doing something. No point writing, try doing something.
Hello Padmini,
Your cynicism for satyamev jayate is quite apparent in the article. I agree that Amir is getting paid to highlighten the social facts glaring at us, which we pretend to ignore conveniently and why should he not be paid? Why should some of the media personnel be paid to portray the society in colourful dramas- which do not even highlight any solutions to our current problems/ even entertain /enlighten us about anything useful !!
I remember great directors ex: V Shantaram/ Satyajit Ray etc using the commercial media to enlighten the social issues of their times which helped people think and make some changes- they never did it for free! did they? Is your cynicism free?
At least Aamir is doing something. And what have you done?
One of the most intelligent takes on the Show that I have read! But it is actually the sad truth. Our fellow citizens in India are such that a great majority actually need it. Though it is naive of us to think that they will change just by watching a TV show!
satymev jayte is doing one of the best …………………
It is quite interesting reading your article. In this world there are people who are successfull and who are not. But among ‘who are not’ again there are 2 kinds. Who accepts it and moves on in life and second one is who pulls down the successful one. God has made everyone so though very painfuly byt yet we have to call them human being.
My personal take after reading your article is you are on 3rd category (Which ofcourse means you are 3 grade person). But having said that I still have to say you are a human being. Sad but Truth.