There will be relief on many faces in government this week as Aamir Khan’s tv show Satyamev Jayate goes off air after a tumultuous 13-week run. In this span, the series enjoyed unprecedented impact (brushing aside the silly TRP controversy), created a buzz far beyond the confines of the “idiot box” and may even have set a benchmark for future satellite fare. Such has been the show’s impact that babus and netas are both still trying to understand what made it tick.
Or, more concisely, what goes on inside the mind of Uday Shankar, Star’s CEO and the man who created the concept. It is clear that host Aamir Khan (it was Uday’s brainwave to persuade the socially-conscious Bollywood star to risk “descending” to the small screen) learnt from the mistakes of Anna Hazare. But it was India Against Corruption’s success at Jantar Mantar that was the basis for the show. For the past 12 Mondays babus were often scrambling to defend their policies or statistics (or seek Aamir’s advice!).
Health secretary P.K. Pradhan may have felt akin to being pinned to the mat (the Medical Council certainly did!) when the episodes on female foeticide, medical malpractices and child sexual abuse created a storm.
We understand that babus in the I&B are also wringing their hands about the impact of Satyamev Jayate. Clearly, they think that even they can spark change too. So while the public may welcome another season of Satyamev Jayate, some netas and babus may not be among them. After all there’s just so much reality one can bear.
Source: Deccan Chronicle?
