Satyamev Jayate Review

Most men are like children. They need a father figure to look up to, someone who can lead them, someone who can guide them and protect them through the trials and tribulations of life. Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill etc. were some such leaders. People pine for such leaders and when they do not find such leaders, they like to pretend they have such a leader. And if one wants to live in a world of fantasy, who better to place in the high pedestal than the heroes of the silver screen. No wonder we have actors donning the mantle of social and political leaders. M G Ramachandran and N T Rama Rao are examples of actors who enjoyed runaway success in politics, reigning as chief ministers in their respective states. Similarly we have actors in north such as Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan emerging as role models for society.

As they say ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’ Not every actor is able to live up to the people’s expectations. It is a rare actor who actually really emerges as the messiah people are expecting. Though it is still too early to say how much impact Aamir Khan will have, to a great extent he has lived up to his promise. He has been careful in choosing films and organizations he associates with. And Satyameva Jayate was an ideal platform for him. It was a symbiotic relationship. Whereas his peers chose to make their appearance on frivolous shows making clowns of themselves based just on monetary considerations, Aamir Khan chose the right program to lend his star value. And the show on its part further enhanced his stature as a social icon.

Talking of the program, the program chose all the right issues to speak about – honor killings, female foeticide, domestic violence issue, senior citizens issues, malpractices by doctors, use of pesticide in food etc. They covered a gamut of most relevant issues that everyone would have found at least one issue in the show they could closely relate to. The show was pretty good in terms of format and content. The research was good and at the same time they did not let it become a dull documentary. Things were presented in a dramatized way, there were people sharing experiences, eminent people were interviewed etc. So there was fair amount of variety to keep audience eye balls riveted. Also the program was linked to charity organizations and NGOs working on issues covered in the episode giving opportunity for people to immediately act on the emotions generated by the show. Another thing I liked about the show is they did not try to float on the TRP and carry on and on like a mega serial till they ran out of gas. Then it would have become just another media stunt and lost its impact. As they say a true artist knows when to stop.

Talking of impact, I feel definitely it will act as a catalyst in giving momentum to the middle class revolution that is building up. But middle class generally is a very thoughtful class and is slow to mobilize. So nothing dramatic is expected of them in the near future. Anything drastic will fizzle out like the Anna Hazare movement. Programs like this show to the middle class that they cannot ignore the society around them and remain safe in their ivory towers. Once the wolf has eaten up the poor, it will come knocking at the door of the middle classes and then it will be too late. However middle class cannot do much on their own. It is critical for the middle class to  reach out to the poor and enlist their trust and support. But trust cannot be built in a day. So the hope is that programs like this keep up the spirit of the middle class to strive tirelessly with muscles of iron and nerves of steel till they win the trust of the poor. Then the true revolution will come taking the nation by storm.

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