He raises his eyebrow. Flicks a tear off his sculpted, strikingly beautiful face. Leans forward. Cups his chin. He is not Oprah but we could be wrong. Satyamev Jayate is a well-intentioned show. It has got one thing right. The fact that in a country where we are oblivious to the obvious, a show about searing reality must be star dusted and packaged like a block-buster to keep us away from the remote and right into the horrific stories of women who along with the daughters in their wombs have been to hell and back. We need to hear these stories. We need to know that it was the Government of India that first turned sonography into a weapon of mass murder. That a Vice-Principal can throw her granddaughter’s crib down the stairs in an attempt to kill her. That a husband can chew the face of his wife in rage because she bore him only daughters. That a judge condoned the desire for a male child in a family that was arrested for torturing their daughter-in-law. That the female foeticide industry if you can call it that is worth millions. That human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women has increased because of the wonky gender ratio. Powerful stuff. And there is Mr Khan. Beckoning girl children to sit next to him, to the tune of a soulful elegy to murdered daughters. It is then somehow that you realise that this show is not just about the issues you and I are going to be sensitised to.
***
It is also about Aamir Khan. In a country where the messenger is sometimes confused with the message, it will not be surprising if Satyamev Jayate accords near sainthood to its anchor. What next? Rajya Sabha? The mantle of an activist and game changer for a star who has already nailed his persona as an actor, producer, director? With Satyamev Jayate, Mr Khan may become the focus of even more passionate adulation than he already enjoys and as always happens in India, may become bigger than the idea of the show.
***
Today in a class about perception management in advertising, we discussed Aamir Khan and one student attributed to Mr Khan, among other things, the resurrection of Mangal Pandey, the introduction of causes like dyslexia in cinema and he looked surprised when I told him that none of the two films he was referring to could be called just his. I am not sure if he had heard the names of Ketan Mehta and Amole Gupte. But the penny dropped when he realised what perception management really is. It projects an all consuming aura that blurs out particulars but focusses on just one thing. The perfectionism of what is decidedly a very extraordinary brain of a very intelligent star. Yes, there was a time when success was an organic process. As was activism. Remember Sunil Dutt and Nargis who travelled across India to support jawans or Dutt Saab who walked from Mumbai to the Golden Temple during the peak of terrorism, braving death threats for the sake of peace? Now we see Aamir in stylish cuts vibing with the little people of his country to the tune of a song. Yes, like success, activism too must be packaged today. Or both will peter out like Anna Hazare’s following. No, Aamir Khan may never be seen anywhere close to him. Not any more. He may however be touted as the new Anna Hazare by enthusiastic fans.
***
Success is a mathematical formula today and no one has cracked it in India better than Aamir Khan. Unlike his peers who have been parodying themselves and milking their star power dry to survive, he has over the years added more and more dimensions to his image with great far-sightedness though he insists that he is less logical and more emotional. Yet, right from the promotion strategy of the show, its time slot and the secrecy around the format, everything has been meticulously detailed. Mr Khan will also not be promoting any brands during this time either by design or just by chance. It is clear that he wants to make sure nothing interferes with his role as the conscience keeper of the nation and if we saw him in ads peddling products, it would dilute his ideological equity. This is what Aamir Khan understands better than his peers. He understands that to be bigger than the biggest idea of stardom, you must earn more than just money though make no mistake, this show could be the biggest money spinner on Indian television and unconfirmed stories in newspapers are already pegging Aamir’s takeaway at much higher than anything that any star has earned on Indian TV. So yes, change and social transformation are very much on the agenda but so is something else. And that something else will emerge with time. It took Oprah Winfrey 25 years to become Oprah Winfrey but don’t be surprised if Aamir Khan gets there within a few months.
***
Just one question though. Could they have not made sure that atleast the signature chants of their title song were taint free? Or maybe such small details do not matter in the big picture. In the meanwhile, let us focus on the substance the show brings along with shock value, tears and gentle orchestration of TV worthy moments. In the bargain, if Aamir Khan becomes the medium and the message and the messiah of the season, so be it.
message we all knew n very well delivered by the messenger. It touched everyone.
n messanger cdn’t be better than aamir khan himself . We watched not because of the issue, the message but because of aamir khan, the messanger. And there is nothing wrong in it as we hear to people with power, prestige money n success. We all read books of award-winning writers. We all go to exhibitions of successful painters. We all start praising them not ‘coz of poetry bit ‘coz of the award.. If u cdn’t make money u become crazy n if u make a lot of money u become talented. And money becomes measuring meter of success. People r only intrested in results n not the issues n u cannot convince them as they r already convinced