Taking stage Aamir on the sets of Satyamev Jayate
SATYAMEV JAYATE
The Truth Paste
Aamir's TV activism is a blockbuster. But does it help to sprinkle stardust on real issues? The jury is out.
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In the sprawling Prince's Suite of the palatial Rambagh Palace hotel in Jaipur, Aamir Khan, spectacles perched enticingly on nose, fingers poised on the iPad in his hands, looks a visibly happy man. The official TRPS for Satyamev Jayate are yet to come in, but the Twittermeter started ticking soon after the actor's social issues-based blockbuster show debuted last week, eliciting a stupendous "58 million impressions" for tweets on the show's first episode on female foeticide. The potential viewership on Doordarshan, the Star bouquet and regional channels is estimated to be 400 million.
Not just that, the full episode was viewed by 1.5 lakh people in less than a day on YouTube. The show's first telecast in the UK was so huge that it occupied the second spot in the popularity charts after Sky Sports, a first for an Indian show. A Pakistan channel is eager to grab its rights. Aamir's fee of Rs 3.5 crore per episode is by far the highest charged by a celebrity anchor, that too for a non-prime time, cause-driven show. It's fetching a record Rs 10 lakh for a 10-second ad spot, about three times the rate for the current IPL season. Main sponsors are doling out anywhere from Rs 6-18 crore to ride the Satyamev bandwagon.
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So, Aamir decided to start his mission by raising one of India's worst secrets—female foeticide—and shattered a few myths in the process. That the practice is restricted not just to rural illiterates but is also prevalent among the educated middle and upper classes. The nexus of families, doctors and lawyers too stood exposed. "The show looked at both the micro and macro levels, dealt with the demographic, genetic and social aspects," says Visvanathan. Adds Trupti Shah of Baroda-based organisation Sahiyar, "He put the issue in a historical perspective, how the population control policy of the '70s led to the problem."
High praise has flowed in also from those who have been working in the field. "Aamir was more updated on the issue than I," says Shripal Shaktawat, the Jaipur-based journalist featured in the show, who led the sting operation to trap 140 doctors engaged in illegal sex determination in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. And Dr Sabu George, the independent activist whose petition led to the passing of the PCPNDT (Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act, adds:"Aamir is a brilliant tactician who did in one hour what others have not been able to do in decades."
Just cause Rally against female foeticide in Nawanshahr, Punjab. (Photograph by T. Narayan)
So, has India's smartest marketer, with this show, successfully reinvented himself as its latest soul-changing messiah? Perhaps. "Social issues is the new Olay cream and he is doing a rather sharp job of selling it," says Visvanathan. "Overnight Aamir has become India's best-known sociologist," he adds, a tad mischievously.
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But that is not to say that Satyamev is without problems. For one, the nuances of presentation leave much to be desired. The show is deliberately manipulative, almost unfolding like a family tear-jerker, is not particularly layered and is overtly self-righteous. It's not as though TV has not covered these issues. Print media too has written about them consistently. Even entertainment channels have had issues-driven shows like Na Aana Is Des Lado, Phulwa and Crime Patrol. But no one has talked about them with this kind of aplomb. Citizen Aamir grabs eyeballs. But while Aamir in the role of citizen journalist is all very fine, it cannot be used to denigrate or downplay the role of serious journalism, Rajdeep Sardesai, editor-in-chief, IBN-18 Network, feels. "The 13 episodes of the show can't be compared to journalists plying the trade 365 days, 24x7," he says. "Both are valuable in their own way and should all be on the same side."
Nor can the overwhelming popularity of the show's first episode negate some of its intensely Bollywood moments. Like the all-too-neat and dramatic argument that a skewed sex ratio will lead to marriage markets with buyers, sellers and brokers where women will be bought and sold like commodities. "Do equal numbers create gender equality and prevent violence against women?" asks Shohini Ghosh, professor at the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre at the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi. "If yes, then how do we explain atrocities against women when the sex ratio was better, as recorded, by say the 1961 census?"
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Just two episodes old, Satyamev... certainly seems to have jolted the middle-class Sunday morning. But will deep-rooted involvement result or will it be mere catharsis, a once-in-a-week easy, cosy washing away of guilt? Will it engender no more than a fake sense of having done something without moving one's finger from the remote? "I'm interested to see whether the impact will be limited to our drawing rooms as family time, or whether it'll be more than that," says media professional Aditya Raj Kaul, who has aggressively campaigned for causes like the Jessica Lal and Priyadarshini Mattoo murders. "There should definitely be a mechanism to check whether it is actually having a long-lasting impact, because very often what we see on television is different from what is happening on the ground."
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But will it continue to engage the masses, retain the core audience, or will they drop off and go back to their good old sleepy Sundays? "As a nation, we're not anxious to face reality, and waking up on a Sunday morning to harsh realities may not actually work," says a media buyer.
The next 12 weeks will be worth a watch, to find out if issues like female infanticide, hunger deaths, rural education will hold audiences to as rapt attention as the machinations of the Kauravas and Pandavas in Mahabharata did two decades ago on Sunday mornings, the same time.
Aamir The Activist
Other causes that have been dear to the actor
Apr 2006 Save the Narmada Aamir plunges into Narmada Bachao Andolan stir after the Gujarat government decision to raise height of Sardar Sarovar Dam on the river. Stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Medha Patkar and Arundhati Roy, demanding that people displaced by the dam be rehabilitated. His stand blocks entry of Fanaa into Gujarat.
Sep 2006 Coca Cola is safe After the pesticides row takes the fizz out of colas, Coca Cola brand ambassador Aamir takes TV viewers on a tour of a bottling plant, interacting with the factory staff, discussing the production process, and putting up a veritable chemistry class with the happy result: "Coca Cola is 100 per cent safe."
Dec 2007 Reading dyslexics With Taare Zameen Par, Aamir draws nation's attention to the much-ignored learning disability. As director-actor, he sensitively shows a dyslexic child, getting the affliction talked about in homes and classrooms. Follows it up by meeting dyslexic kids and anchoring a TV show on dyslexia; also attends a major international conference.
Jul 2008 Student woes The star stands up for the woes of Indian students. Shares stage with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussing the obsession with marks, the pressures of performance; the absence of the culture of asking questions, of understanding rather than learning by rote.
Feb 2009 Atithi Devo Bhava Gives Incredible India campaign a public face. TV spots on the Atithi Devo Bhava theme show him highlight two deterrents to India's tourism potential: harassment of foreign tourists and vandalism of monuments.
2009 Go green His face lit up by a candle he's holding, India's Earth Hour ambassador appeals to us to do our bit for the environment: turn off lights for an hour to raise awareness on climate change.
2009, 2012 Vote clean Aamir launches a pre-poll Voter Awareness Campaign with "Sachche ko chunein, achchhe ko chunein" theme stamped on ad films, print ads, online and mobile messages. Aamir charges no fees, bears the cost of producing the ad films. In 2012 too, automated calls take Aamir's appeal to choose 'clean' candidates to lakhs of voters.
Apr 2010 Toilet training Nikumbh Sir did the rounds of schools again, this time with a different concern—sanitation. Appointed sanitation brand ambassador to promote cleanliness in CBSE schools, Aamir takes his clean-up message to his young fans, promising to know more about sanitation from officials and create a "package that will be easily available through CDs and Internet for use in schools".
Aug 2011 Anna, the hero On the 12th and final day of Anna Hazare's fast, pops up at Ramlila Maidan. Sings Mitwaa from Lagaan, coaxing Anna to break his fast and letting it be known that he knew all about, and was all for, the Jan Lokpal Bill. Also takes pain to say "I am not the biggest hero, Anna is the real hero." Also expresses support for Manipur's AFSPA activist Irom Sharmila.
Nov 2011 Kuposhan, Quit India Thanks to his personal interest in children's issues, Aamir is named Unicef's national ambassador. Advocating rights and nutrition of children, Aamir in the attention-grabbing "Kuposhan Bharat Choro" ad tells children that though India won independence in 1947, it has yet to wrest freedom from malnutrition. He and adman-lyricist Prasoon Joshi will make 50 short films on malnutrition.
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Also Starring: Celeb Causerati
Hollywood icons who work for causes
 George Clooney When Danny Ocean isn't robbing banks, he's trying to stop mass atrocities in Chad, Sudan and Darfur. Raises funds for, supports some 20 other causes. |  Brangelina Have donated millions to help children affected by war; help refugees in over 20 countries. Also concerned with poverty, food security, environment. | |
 Oprah Winfrey Is among America's top 50 philanthropists. Most recently set up a school in South Africa for children affected by poverty and AIDS. Cost: $50 million. |  Shakira Commitment to education spans continents. Honoured by UN, she said: "At the end of this day, when we all go home, 960 children will have died in Latin America." | |
 Bono The U2 frontman got world's top leaders to support ONE Campaign to end global poverty. Helped provide access to life-saving AIDS drugs to nearly 4 mn Africans. |  Kate Winslet The Titanic star raises funds for eating disorder victims, the homeless and founded Red Hat Foundation for the cause of autism | |
 Leonardo Di Caprio Has fought for gorillas, global warming, natural resources through his foundation which he set up when he was 24 years old |  Sean Penn Gay rights, Hurricane Katrina, Iraq war have been pet projects. Famously spent $56,000 on ad asking President Bush "to end a cycle of violence". | |
 Victoria, David Beckham The footballer and the ex-Spice Girl focus on healthcare for disabled children, cancer, prevention of malaria, among other things |  Elton John Personal loss moved him to raise $125 million for AIDS programmes in 55 countries. $43 million of his own wealth went to various other charities. | |
By Namrata Joshi with Neha Bhatt in New Delhi and Arti Sharma in Mumbai
FILED IN:
AUTHORS: NAMRATA JOSHI
PEOPLE: AAMIR KHAN
TAGS: TV | ADVERTISEMENT | FEMALE FOETICIDE & INFANTICIDE
SECTION: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
SUBSECTION: COVER STORIES
AUTHORS: NAMRATA JOSHI
PEOPLE: AAMIR KHAN
TAGS: TV | ADVERTISEMENT | FEMALE FOETICIDE & INFANTICIDE
SECTION: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
SUBSECTION: COVER STORIES
TRANSLATE INTO:
Translate| ALSO IN THIS STORY |
 INTERVIEW On his show Satyameva Jayate and whether or not it could have a lasting impact. |
 JUMP CUT He was not aspiring to be Balraj Sahni. He was a superstar and he wanted to be accorded his rightful place. |
SATYAMEV JAYATE What about the role played by ultrasound machines? |
 OPINION Aamir, an entrepreneur, has reconciled the market with activism |
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DAILY MAIL
| 1/D-49 MAY 12, 2012 01:08 PM | "I think it is like "Sugar Coating of Quinine" for easier acceptability, which will definitely work once swallowed." |
2/D-6 MAY 13, 2012 12:34 AM | The trick that they usually employ is this one. The women's groups come up with a load of hocus-pocus that makes men out to be better treated than women, or that they are far more abusive than is currently recognised. They base these lies on virtually anything that they can get their hands on. Air will do. Their feminist cronies in the media wet themselves with delight and publish the falsehoods with large headlines accompanied by exaggerated tales of female misery and woe. The public is outraged. The politicians are blackmailed (literally) into supporting their malicious causes both vocally and with funding. If they refuse, they are publicly and vociferously castigated as being closet supporters of violence against women and child abuse etc. In the meantime, the men's groups have no funding to test or to counteract the 'research' and they do not have very much access to willing accomplices in the mainstream media. So there is no protest, and no public outrage at the feminist lies. WAKE UP, MALES! SPEAK UP! |
3/D-31 MAY 13, 2012 07:23 AM | There have been some instances of television activism which have had some impact on American race relations. The two programs that come to mind are "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" (1974) with Cicely Tyson, and "Roots" (1977) based on Alex Haley's book. They both shook the nation. They were high quality programs. People still talk about them. They prove the maxim that efforts at social change are most effective when the society is almost ready for them. This sounds the exact opposite opposite of what we tend to think. |
4/D-103 MAY 13, 2012 06:47 PM | TV Shows, Causes come and go but nothing will change. Well that is the Indian mindset. Whatever happened to the 'Anna Movement' ? Fizzled out. Problem is unless there is a follow up to the cause, it will continue to remain a Sunday entertainment for those watching the show. I must say that Amir Khan is doing a much better job in managing his PR than the likes of the other Khans who are either in the news for 'being detained at immigration' or bashing up someone else. Good job. There is clearly one winner and that is Amir Khan. |
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