Satyamev Jayate Episode 3
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SATYAMSHOT
May 20, 2012 at 8:12 AM
Presumably this is the dowry episode..
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May 20, 2012 at 8:23 AM
Watched most of it..
Thought this issue is much improved now anyhow…
dont have any first hand knowledge on this but that was my impression that there is already a lot fo “awareness”
Know a guy who got married sometime ago and was phobic of even ‘genuine gifts’ lest he be labelled inappropriately..
Anyhow…
Whats the latest updated experience of those IN india
Maybe Sanjana, bliss, di, oldgold and minor may shed some light…
ps–hopefully the next few days should give satyam time to fully “assimilate’ this–maybe this ‘delayed release’ in the states for the states is more than a coincidence lol
the other impression is that these ills are much less in the south–maybe those like satyam, gf and Amy may enlighten
thanx
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May 20, 2012 at 10:18 AM
“Those ills are much less in south”- i don’t abt the incidence but u will be shocked that most men going into the top branches of specialization (like radiology) after mbbs thru donation/capitation money, r from andhra pradesh- bcos andhra men, after they do mbbs, get dowry in crores and so they r able to illegally get pg seats via donation which ranges in crores to some lakhs for top branches- on that note i must also add that students from south,esp. andhraites, r the most intelligent ones i have met
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May 20, 2012 at 10:48 AM
‘Thought this issue is much improved now’
The statistics on the show say that one woman is killed every hour of every day because of dowry in India- so it’s obviously still an enormously prevalent social evil. As for dowry being less common down south- I think Aamir said that it was non-existent in the Northeast- I’m pretty sure it’s common down south too- especially in Andhra Pradesh.
I liked this episode a lot- it was the most effective of all the episodes shown so far IMO. I also loved the ‘Rupaiyya’ song sung by Sona Mohapathra at the end of the show.
Rani Tirupati was fabulous- it’s nice that Aamir made an effort to include a bride who has successfully opposed the system and is happily married now instead of only showing women who are passive victims to dowry harassment.
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May 20, 2012 at 10:56 AM
I don’t think it’s less common in the South at all but dowry related deaths might be so. Don’t know this, just an educated guess. Or I should amend that.. Andhra and Karnataka might have the same death rates. I would be surprised to discover something similar in TN and Kerala.
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May 20, 2012 at 11:13 AM
a comprehensive report here:
Click to access 1302087562_DOWRY%20DEATH_PUBLIC%20HEALTH.pdf
check table 2, some interesting numbers..
Andhra is the highest in the South by far, followed by Karnataka, TN, Kerala (among the lowest in the nation.. one can always count on this state to be among the most progressive in most matters!).
The worst offenders here seem to be Haryana, MP, UP, Bihar and surprisingly Orissa.
Maharashtra is relatively low, Gujarat is the lowest in the country along with kerala (wouldn’t have guessed this). In general Northern and central India is higher than everywhere in the South. Andhra (with the lowest literacy rate in the South and among the lowest in the country.. there is apparently a correlation between literacy and this issue) is matched only by Rajasthan. All the other Norther/Central states are gernerally higher. However if Rajasthan is considered a Western state then you have higher numbers here compared to some of the other main ones. Again wouldn’t have expected W Bengal to tie Punjab (which otherwise has the lowest Northern rate, interestingly Haryana right across has one of the highest!). The other remarkable thing here is that if you look at dowry suicides W Bengal has the largest spread between ‘death’ and ‘suicide-related deaths’. In fact it’s a massive gap.
In any case Gujaratis and Keralites can take a bow here. And it’s not about per capita income. It could have been the case that in some states people are just able to pay heavier dowries and therefore avoid some of these horrifying results. However the same table lists this variable and there is no such correlation. Haryana and Gujarat have more or less the same per capita. One has among the worst rates, the other has the lowest.
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May 20, 2012 at 11:29 AM
Satyam, the crimes against women are less in hilly areas like uttarakhand, himachal and north east bcos in some of the rurals women acquira an equal or sometimes higher position than men in the social and familial hierarchy. having lived in dehradun and gone to rural areas of garhwal and kumaon, for case-studies, i found a rather unusual system in some families where the groom pays dowry to the bride.and yes the condition is very bad in the hindi belt expectedly
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May 20, 2012 at 11:43 AM
Satyam, one of the big reasons why Haryana has more dowry deaths than Punjab is bcos these things r more prevalent in the ‘Jaatt community’ which is predominant in haryana. also the literacy rate and per capita incoma of haryana is less than punjab. on kerala doing the best here, the literacy is the major cause but also bcos ‘female literacy rate’ in kerala is comparable to male unlike other states. and women of kerala r dominant in fields like teaching and nursing.they enjoy equals rights as men
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May 20, 2012 at 12:21 PM
“In any case Gujaratis and Keralites can take a bow here”
Not sure on this one for gujjus unless Modi has changed things on this front as well. Growing up everyday newspapers were littered with bride death in kerosene stove “accidents” (which is novel way of killing the girl so that son can get remarried and get new dowry all over again..I would say advance on female foeticide). @Ami: correct me if I am wrong but in TN, Iyer/Iyenger have diamonds (instead of gold for regular folks) for dowry. Also my kerela neigbor had good-for-nothing betas who were more of roadside romeos…and mom always gloated how she was getting offers of 100 tola gold bride. All the andra grad students who studies with me here, were always boasting about dowry and amt. as well. The Patels in gujarat are notorious for dowry. I had a punjabi neigbor with a regular B.A. degree; got bride to get everything from motorcyle to fridge. After 6 month of marriage, he told his mom,”sastey may patt gaya” {meaning he should have asked for more}. More educated indians get “lifetime kaa dowry” by buying oppps I meant marrying educated (read well-paid) bride so that,”life time kaa dowry ho gaya” and it is an actual quote from aunty!
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May 21, 2012 at 2:18 AM
In our family, no incidence of dowry. Simple marriages with some basic rituals. I attended many weddings and all followed this criteria. All the expenses never touched even 1 lakh.
Obviously SRK was not invited to dance at these weddings. In some cases the grooms returned expensive gifts given voluntarily from the inlaws. And some of the males helped even the girls’s families financially when the need arose.
Sounds unbelievable? But true.
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May 21, 2012 at 4:31 AM
Oh that’s good to hear Sanjana…ad that I didn’t have to suffer this malpractice ..
Think u should go to the program to serve as a ‘shining example’!
We are worried about some ‘silent ones’ being ‘silent victims’ (or even offenders lol)
Anyhow our panel is available to help for free on this ańd other topics
Btw folks-when is the ‘organic farming’ is Sikkim coming
-wanna see it
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May 21, 2012 at 4:39 AM
Typo-good to hear that ‘you’ didn’t have to suffer the malpractice …
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May 20, 2012 at 8:57 AM
also watched aamir in greenathon4 NDTV where he adopted 4 villages
anyone interested this is an ongoing webcast today, apparently
http://green.ndtv.com/default.aspx?videoid=233014&page=1
ps–dont mind priyanka chopra here…
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May 20, 2012 at 1:29 PM
Alex,
Aamir adopted 5 villages…btw did you see the Chopra sisters bonding big time & doing the jiggy to “Desi Girl” ! They were a riot along with Cyrus !!
Here is the video link :
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May 20, 2012 at 1:36 PM
Thanx Shubh—yes sort of liked this ‘comaraderie’ between the sisters–though wonder how long it will last
Priyanka seems to be ‘coming of age’ somewhat in more ways than one –though her lips remain more than a distraction (again in more ways than one)
Parineeti has a somewhat wacky zingy appeal…intially i hated her in lucky bahl but am somewhat getting more ‘tolerant’ of her…
On a related slight detour of my ongoing ‘webinar” here on ‘serious topics’ on SMJ—
a quick survey–
shubh and minor and others–whom do u prefer–PC or Pc..ooops priyanka or parineeti -“both” is not an option (except for me)
ps–good to see u back shubh
HAve noted that some like Prateek, Sanjana, bliss and oldgold who are usually around are suddenly hiding on this issue…
Hope they are neither “offenders” nor “victims” esp the former ..
🙂
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May 20, 2012 at 1:57 PM
This is really cute Shubh- I always like Parineeti and I even liked Priyanka here- possibly being around her cousin makes her act less artificial- they should do a movie together where they play sisters.
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May 21, 2012 at 6:52 AM
Ami / Alex,
At the Greenathon yesterday, Priyanka remarked that it was strange to keep calling her cousin “Parineeti” & was reluctant to disclose the pet name.
Well, actually Priyanka calls her “Tishu” and Parineeti calls Priyanka “Mimi didi”……ha ha, the advantages of being a regular on Twitter 🙂
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May 20, 2012 at 2:09 PM
Whom do I prefer ??
That is a no contest…Parineeti, of course 🙂
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May 22, 2012 at 11:01 AM
The way Priyanka talks is superficial but my respect for her went couple of notches up after watching Greenathon.
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May 20, 2012 at 9:29 AM
^^btw srk also jumps into greenathon soon after aamir left!!
coming live right now
the srk-pc ‘hug’ was a peculiar one lol
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May 20, 2012 at 10:05 AM
any episode on extra martial affairs and divorces?
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May 20, 2012 at 12:25 PM
extra-marital affairs: pray why? anyhow, half of satyamshot is registered in that category, the male half.
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May 20, 2012 at 2:54 PM
If that is the topic, we have to change the host as well.
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May 20, 2012 at 6:40 PM
HaHa..never thought of that….so true 😉
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May 23, 2012 at 7:05 AM
lol
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May 20, 2012 at 10:54 AM
I do hope they come up with the issue of women being molested and raped in the country, especially in the capital.
Some steps need to be seriously taken in this regard..
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May 20, 2012 at 12:24 PM
HaHa..you are funny!
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May 20, 2012 at 2:47 PM
Was I?
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May 21, 2012 at 2:23 AM
There is one coming in the next few weeks. But under different title.
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May 20, 2012 at 12:47 PM
Di- I’m not sure what the customs are amongst the Tamil Iyers/ Iyengars.
What I do not understand about the sort of marriages featured on the show is this- these women provide financially for their husbands through dowry and presumably do a lot of housework etc as well and in return they are abused physically and emotionally- why on earth does anybody enter into and stay in a marriage where they are being financially exploited, physically and mentally tortured and also treated as domestic help/ servants- what could they possibly think they will gain from staying in such a marriage?
I do not understand how women and their parents continue to co-operate in such a thoroughly exploitative relationship where they are giving everything and getting absolutely nothing positive in return. In a way I think that the women and their families are to blame for being so passive and accepting of this as well- as Aamir said- end the engagement the minute these demands for dowry surface- what good is going to be gained out of getting into such a marriage anyway?
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May 20, 2012 at 1:23 PM
I totally hear you. I feel women are better off without husbands, with some rare exceptions 😉
Haven’t watched the episode 3rd yet.
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May 20, 2012 at 1:38 PM
“with some rare exceptions..”
hmm-like….
btw–time to hit the gymn now…
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May 20, 2012 at 1:23 PM
Thanx for the educational comments there, satyam, amy, di and minor.
hmmm…interesting figures from the various states
btw whats the reason for this marked reduction in north east and some south states?
The “silent’ onez
Also I wonder if those who usually comment and arent now–hope they are just ‘busy’!
Hope someone is not a ‘silent victim’ here andhence is not speaking out…
or Are they in “double minds” on this topic…
And this extends to BOTH males and females….
Remember the poor guy who literally got kidnapped and was forcibly ‘married” and perhaps “raped” on the wedding nite..(we shouldnt laugh at this one…)
.
So
any of the ‘silent’ ones (both guys n gals)–pray speak out.. we and our panel shall endeavour to help…..(in an anonymised, nonjudgemental manner)
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May 20, 2012 at 1:28 PM
Anyhow, an angry female sent me this link !!!!
Normally dont furnish stuff from related websites
but this one deserves a look since it may be relevant to the malady at large….
DISCLAIMER— THIS IS NOT MY PIECE (just to clarify again)….
http://www.naachgaana.com/2012/05/20/natakmev-jayate-episode-3-crosses-all-limits-of-natakbazi-this-time-the-non-issue-is-dowry/#more-90508
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May 20, 2012 at 1:50 PM
Is this article for real? Or is this simply some anti-Aamir troll? Scary if these are his genuine thoughts. Anyway- why do all of these dowry extractors think that taking the maximum amount of dowry from the bride’s family makes them ‘manly’ or ‘macho’. Isn’t being financially supported by your wife directly opposite to conventional ideals of machismo and manliness? How is asking for dowry any different from being a (male) prostitute?
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May 20, 2012 at 2:10 PM
“How is asking for dowry any different from being a (male) prostitute?”- Ami, that is a demeaning comment on men.” a lot of dowry is given willingly, without being asked, by the the bride’s family to the bride for her own well-being and also as a gift. also women sometimes cause minor injuries intentionally to themselves in order to falsely implicate their husbands. as to what do women get by being in such marriages, they get love,protection,support etc which only men can give them
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May 20, 2012 at 2:18 PM
‘A lot of dowry is given willingly without being asked’
Which is why I said how is ASKING for dowry any different. And did you watch the episode? None of the women shown were in marriages where they were getting any love, support or protection from their husbands. I’m not sau that women shouldn’t get married at all- I’m saying that I don’t understand the mindset of families who go on providing lakhs of rupees to their grooms when they know that their daughters are being mentally and physically abused.
As for false implications- those are obviously terrible. But that doesn’t take away from the seriousness of genuine crimes which results in the death of tens of thousands of women every year and the harassment and torture of many more women and their families.
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May 20, 2012 at 2:32 PM
Ami, i have not seen this episode. but what if the mother is giving money etc to the groom to keep her daughter happy and fulfill her desires. and suppose a groom is gifted a car as a dowry (which happens quite a lot), it’s not that only the groom will be using it. the bride will also be using it, right. so what’s the harm!?
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May 20, 2012 at 2:39 PM
“Isn’t being financially supported by your wife directly opposite to conventional ideals of machismo and manliness?”- no Ami. which man would not love to have a wife who can financially support him so that he can relax, chill and enjoy the niceties of life. LOL
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May 20, 2012 at 2:42 PM
Saurabh- you should watch the episode. Obviously the issue is not harmful if you frame it in the most benign way possible. But the reality is that one woman is killed in India every hour of every day because of dowry deaths and many, many more are harassed, abused and tortured for dowry and many grooms and their families threaten to divorce the woman or throw her out because their dowry demands are not being met. Loans are flame by parents who cannot afford dowry, fathers commit suicide out of inability to repay these loans and female infants are killed out of worry of the future dowry that the parents will be unable to pay. If you do not think that there isn’t any harm in this then I don’t know what more to say.
And even in the most idyllic situation where no one is being harassed- it’s still sick and twisted that the grooms think they have rights to make financial demands of the bride’s family simply out of virtue of them being male. Just because the wife is also going to use the car it doesn’t mean that the brides parents should be bound to pay for it- the groom is also using the car so why shouldn’t he or his parents pay for it or why shouldn’t both families pay for it together?
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May 20, 2012 at 2:45 PM
BTW- didn’t we have a similar conversation about female feoticide as well? No offence but if you don’t consider either feoticide or dowry harassment to be crimes- what DO you consider to be a crime?
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May 20, 2012 at 2:46 PM
*if you do not think that there is any harm in this then I don’t know what more to say.
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May 20, 2012 at 2:53 PM
Ami, i was just playing the devil’s advocate here- did that bcos i am a man and u seemed to taking the case of entire male gender…LOL. “BTW- didn’t we have a similar conversation about female feoticide as well? No offence but if you don’t consider either feoticide or dowry harassment to be crimes- what DO you consider to be a crime?”- Ami that’s a wrong allegation on me. i never supported foeticide. and i know one cannot prove anything on a blog but c’mon i am not that sick a person, trust me
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May 20, 2012 at 2:58 PM
Saurabh- I’m not blaming the entire male gender at all- I’m talking of the specific people who indulge in dowry harassment- and BTW if you look at my earlier comment you’ll see that I was blaming the bride and her family for passively giving into all the dowry demands as well.
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May 20, 2012 at 3:04 PM
*if you do not think that there is any harm in this then I don’t know what more to say.” – Ami, seems i have rubbed u the wrong way. in case u thought that my views r disrespectful towards women, i deeply apologise. but i never meant it to be so. as i have said before,i believe any sane man having a sister will atleast never support torture or killing of females.
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May 20, 2012 at 3:05 PM
BTW- I’m sorry if that previous comment was too harsh- I’m not accusing you of indulging in these practises or of personally supporting these practises- but it does seem from your comments that you do not consider them to be very serious crimes. Again- if you were only playing devil’s advocate- sorry for that comment.
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May 20, 2012 at 3:06 PM
Saudabh- no need to apologise- it’s easy to misconstrue the tone of a comment on an online forum- I misinterpreted what you said.
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May 20, 2012 at 3:14 PM
Ami, u should not apologise at all. anyway i don’t like females apologising to me, that ‘does hurt my machismo and manliness’…LOL. and in hindsight, i should have been more careful with my comments. btw in forensic medicine, we were shown a female patient with cigarette burns on her face caused allegedly by her husband bcos she had not paid enough dowry
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May 21, 2012 at 12:04 AM
In larger picture bride harrassment cases are much more than other cases. We need to discuss 498 misuse and other willing givers but in Most cases people don’t have wherewithal to give dowry.
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May 20, 2012 at 11:57 PM
But there are two more articles on previous episodes.
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May 20, 2012 at 3:02 PM
ridiculous how could anyone vouch for dowry when its a crime under indian laws or is this a satire
only thing correct in this article is about the sponsor(reliance) and there was a movie depicting life of dhiru bhai(guru) in which they showed how he married for dowry only
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May 20, 2012 at 1:33 PM
Aamir getting more confident as host with every episode…what i liked particularly in this episode was the pan India coverage…with West, north, South & most importantly the North East given substantial prominence…The North East bit at the end was heartwarming & the fact that the dowry system being virtually non-existent there.
Also interesting was the bit on the “kidnap / forced marriage” practiced in Bihar.
Overall, well worth a watch !
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May 20, 2012 at 2:25 PM
those ‘forcible marriages’ are called as ‘Pakadua Shaadi’, where a boy(usually boy) who is usually a well educated and handsomely earning professional (usually doctors and engineers), is kidnapped and locked inside with the whom he has never seen before and is made to marry her on gunpoint. after that they e forced to undergo intercourse so that the marriage is legalized. it is more in districts of samastipur and muzzafarpur in bihar
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May 20, 2012 at 4:20 PM
Minor–<"boy(usually boy) who is usually a well educated and handsomely earning professional (usually doctors and engineers), is kidnapped and locked inside with the whom he has never seen before and is made to marry her on gunpoint. after that they e forced to undergo intercourse so that the marriage is legalized"
hahahaha
ROFL–this HAS to be one of the most hilarious stuff ive heard today…
Btw minor–can understand 'assault' or 'abuse' but "intercourse @ gun point"–thats TOO much lol
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May 20, 2012 at 4:25 PM
there is a national award winning movie on it antardawand
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antardwand
( much before anyone milking it for show)
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May 20, 2012 at 4:34 PM
thanx rockstar-
must say uve been finding (and surprisingly watching) some rather ‘obscure-ish’ stuff (including that ‘honey singh’ promo in the other thread) 🙂
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May 20, 2012 at 4:37 PM
having variety helps btw saif has used that as bgm
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May 20, 2012 at 1:36 PM
Aamir’s appearance at the NDTV Greenathon saw the theme of the show being sidetracked for a good 30 min , as Prannoy Roy & Vikram Chandra were asking all sorts of questions on SJ !!
They even requested Aamir to make environment as the focus for one of the future episodes of SJ.
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May 20, 2012 at 1:40 PM
The Midas Touch?
http://business-standard.com/india/news/the-midas-touch/474736/
The RoI on his films could put Wall Street whizkids to shame his marketing methods are case studies in themselves. Surajeet Das Gupta and Varada Bhat size up Aamir Khan, the businessman
Well-meaning it may be, but superstar Aamir Khan’s Satyamev Jayate, telecast simultaneously on nine television channels including state-owned Doordarshan, hasn’t set the rating charts on fire. Its first episode, telecast on May 6, got a TV rating of 4 in the Hindi-speaking market, according to TAM. The TVR reflects the percentage of viewers watching a programme at a particular time. This is way below Amitabh Bachchan’s last edition of Kaun Banega Crorepati (TVR of 6.24) and Salman Khan’s Bigg Boss (4.83). Has Khan — great actor, greater businessman — lost his golden touch? Aamir Khan Productions, his production house, has made a five-fold return on investments of around Rs 100 crore in six films in the last 11 years. This could put to shame fund managers in Wall Street. Why not Satyamev Jayate? Does it lack the X factor?
“I will wait and see the response till the 13th episode. Then only I will decide whether or not I would like to do a Season 2. I have not made the show for TVRs,” says Khan, 47. He plays down the success of his films and says he was “plain lucky”. But Satyamev Jayate is a bold gamble. Celebrities stick to games and reality shows on television — shock and controversies fetch the eyeballs. Serious issues are a taboo on television, relegated to late-night shows on state-run stations. Three years ago, Star TV India CEO Uday Shankar met Khan with an offer to host a game show on one of the Star channels, which he refused flatly. But it started some sort of engagement between the two to leverage the power of television. After over one-and-a-half years Khan, who undertook extensive research with his creative team, hit upon the idea of Satyamev Jayate. While initially Synergy Communications was supposed to be the producer, Khan took up the mantle himself later on — he was obviously convinced of its success.
Will social activism work on television? Aren’t Indians already overburdened by it? Isn’t Khan projecting himself as the next messiah, a la Anna Hazare? Khan says he is simply communicating and highlighting social issues where changes need to be brought in. “In the US, you can know the sex of the child and it is not illegal. But in India female infanticide is common and we need to change our views. That is what I am trying to convey,” says he. That he is charging a hefty fee of Rs 3.5 crore per episode, which means Aamir Khan Productions will get Rs 45.5 crore for the 13 episodes planned, shows Satyamev Jayate is as much about business as it is about social awakening and national transformation.
Primetime television happens in the evening, between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm. That is when general entertainment channels show their best stuff. The mornings, on weekends too, are for repeats and lightweights. Khan has challenged extant media wisdom by going for the 11:00 am slot on Sunday — the time band that was once occupied by Ramayan and Mahabharat. So popular were these programmes that streets across India would be deserted when they were telecast. Shankar says the Sunday morning slot gives Satyamev Jayate a clear positioning: it is not an alternative for some other primetime programme. In other words, go for the kill when the rivals have put their guard down. The advertisers wouldn’t complain because there’s nothing else of significance on television at that time. Also, to ensure a larger audience Khan insisted that it should be telecast simultaneously across channels, including state-owned Doordarshan — again a first on Indian general-entertainment television. Media experts say this strategy makes sense;Khan was perhaps aware that such a serious programme would not be able to get viewers if shown on only one channel unlike, say, KBC. “I was not bothered about TVRs. I wanted the programme to be seen by the maximum number of people. So it was telecast across the Star channels as well as Doordarshan,” says Khan.
Maybe Khan knew that a serious programme like Satyamev Jayate may not get very high TV ratings. So he has supplemented that by ensuring, through skillful marketing, that the buzz on the programme remains alive well after telecast, unlike a game show. For advertisers, this buzz is important: it gives their brands a feel of social consciousness. “What the programme has done is to get disproportionate attention through offline conversations among people and social media. And that has a rub off on everyone including advertisers,” says Star’s Shankar. Thus, Satyamev Jayate became the most searched word in India on Google on May 6, the day the first episode was shown. Over 350,000 viewers watched the show on YouTube, and it was amongst the top 5 most tweeted programmes in India.
According to media agency Star-com Mediavest, 71 per cent of the people who saw the programme said it was good. Says Starcom MediaVest Group India Chairman CVL Srinivas: “I think Satyamev Jayate will kick off a wave of social media-friendly programming. The TVRs might not be huge, but the social media is beginning to change this obsession with ratings.”
Khan has, of course, worked out a strategy to sustain the buzz on the issues raised in Satyamev Jayate. He went on a radio blitzkrieg after the first episode to discuss further the issue of female foeticide and infanticide in as many as 230 stations across the country which includes 164 stations of All India Radio. He also wrote about the episode in newspapers in different languages. He even met Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, the state with the worst sex ratio, to start a fast-track court for female infanticide, which was conceded.
If that is not enough, he has brought NGOs and his sponsors together to encourage audiences wanting to donate for a cause, increasing their engagement with the programme. So, audiences can pay to the NGOs directly through Airtel Money (mobile) or through Axis Bank. In the first episode itself, Rs 63.24 lakh was collected in donations. Of this, half was given by Reliance Foundation which had promised to match what was collected from others.
By creating a new level of engagement he has ensured that advertisers are happy despite the hefty premium that they have paid. For instance, according to industry sources, Airtel forked out almost Rs 18 crore to be the title sponsor for 13 episodes. Compare it with KBC season five where the title sponsor, Cadbury, paid Rs 25 crore for 56 episodes. Associate sponsors have paid Rs 8 crore to be a part of the Khan bandwagon, compared to Rs 14 crore in KBC 5. Yet they are not complaining. Bharti Airtel Director (brands) Bharat Bambawale says: “TVRs are important, but what is also important is the engagement of the consumer seeing the programme. As the engagement level with such a programme dealing with key social issues is high, their relationship with the brand which is associated with the programme also gets enhanced.” Adds Coca-Cola India Director (integrated marketing communications) Wasim Basir: “Those who look at TVRs alone are fooling themselves. The ratings only give you a measurement of how many people were watching your advertising not whether they understood your message. What this programme ensures is high level of involvement of the audience and the buzz that it creates around it.”
Many of the business and creative techniques used in Satyamev Jayate have been honed by Khan in the movie business — his deep involvement in the content, his innovate marketing efforts, giving the programme a bigger canvas and his ability to make it a profitable venture.
His production house, unlike most others, works on two simple principals — he must play a key role in whatever is produced and he will never get into distribution. Khan admits he has no experience of distribution and that is why he is ready to bring in distributors as partners in his projects. “I run a boutique production house and will not do any movie in which I am not involved. I bring the creative part which could include acting in the film.” He also never sells his movie before it is made. “It’s risky, but I believe in what I make and don’t want others to lose money if it fails. Also if it does well I get the upside.”
Khan says that he always overshoots his budget, but those who know him say he is able to hire creative talent at much lower costs than others — so eager are people, actors as well as technical staff, to work with him because the likelihood of success is very high. He shrewdly does not repeat directors and prefers a new cast for each film. This too keeps costs low (and profits high). “He has the same charisma as Yash Raj Films under which actors, directors and other creative people are not bothered about their remuneration. They know the association with him will only add value,” says a senior executive of a production house which has worked with him.
What makes Khan different from other producers is his involvement: he is the chief marketing manager, the editor, as well as the creative head. Without his methodical marketing, the film’s chances of success at the box office fall sharply.
For instance, the release of his next film, Talash, in which he is one of the three producers, along with Big Pictures and Excel, has been postponed from June to November because Khan is busy with Satyamev Jayate and will not have the time to lead the marketing exercise, something he is very keen to do. When Delhi Belly, which he produced for nephew Imran Khan, was about to be released, Khan communicated ad nauseam that it was a film only for adults, because of abusive language and double entendre, and hence children should keep away. General curiosity was aroused, people thronged to the theatres for the shock, and a low-budget film became a runaway success!
Raj Kumar Hirani, the director of 3 Idiots and the Munnabhai films, says Khan is “marketing monster” and a perfectionist. “If, as a director, you are a perfectionist, you will understand where Khan is coming from. He always has his options for scenes, and he insists on doing proper, on-location rehearsals before the shoot. But he’s not an actor who disrespects his director if the director knows what he wants.”
Khan lets the success lie easy on his head and says he is not here to merely entertain people. But the one thing he promises is to “engage” the audiences. Will it work on TV?
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May 21, 2012 at 11:17 AM
nice article
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May 20, 2012 at 1:45 PM
Just watched the 3rd episode a while back. I had recorded it on my tata sky recorder, then pushed off to watch Hugo in 3D(visually arresting, yet did not move me; good but not great). This 3rd episode was rather low key compared to the first two–at a slightly lowered emotional pitch. Happy that Aamir chose to keep it light on the whole even while he empathized with dowry victims — that Punjabi girl going off to the US and suffering so terribly, the Madurai girl who killed herself, all….but the Bihari guy’s kidnap shaadi was quite funny ; and the brave Rani’s story ended with her finding a prince charming–who came and danced a bit with Aamir while Sona Mahapatra sang. Quite amusing, this bit.
But I wonder if Aamir/ team know about Andhra Pradesh and its notorious dowry tradition. Those landed gentry statrted the practice of giving/taking huge dowries–and poorer Andra people have to follow suit.
I’m an Iyer–and i can confidently state that in my community dowry is now virtually gone, past tense. Most Iyer girls are educated and employed; many work long enough (and IT salries are pretty good) to collect their own jewellery plus some shaadi expense money–thus reducing the burden on father. Of course you still have the odd case, the grasping in-laws plus groom. But these , thankfully, are exceptions.
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May 20, 2012 at 4:13 PM
@LS-Quite a succinct and well-rounded brief summary of both–SMJ3 and Hugo…
“Hugo in 3D(visually arresting, yet did not move me; good but not great”-Egg-jacktly…
incidentally remember dozing off for sometime–but guess that was due to other causes….
VV Loved Rocket Singh
One of the best films of the last decade
and ranbirs best (after rockstar)…
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May 20, 2012 at 3:03 PM
The practice of dowry is rampant in most cities, towns and villages in India.
It is practiced so much that its imbibed in our value system, and this, along with daan in temples, is probably one of the core reasons for corruption and the give-n-take culture.
Dowry, in a way, is used for telling the grrom and his parents – We have given you everything possible to take care of our daughter. Many times, its these unspoken words that create an understanding (or the lack of it) relationship between two families.
… and people still pay under-the-table money to government officials and peons to replace files and recommend cases.
Such social evils are the root cause of economic problems in the nation..
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May 20, 2012 at 3:19 PM
well said tony bhaiya, agreed completely. btw yesterday i was searching for an article on the blog and found something on ‘rocket singh’- did u write it?
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May 20, 2012 at 3:25 PM
I guess so .. cud’ve been a long time back
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May 20, 2012 at 4:41 PM
It’s accessible everywhere now.
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May 20, 2012 at 6:44 PM
which sites…?
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May 20, 2012 at 4:45 PM
After Satyamev Jayathe:
Aamir fans: Aamir rules! Satyamev Jayathe rocks.. Child molestors should be hanged till death
SRK fans: Aamir’s emotionally manipulating his audience. Why all this hoopla?
————–
After SRK controversy:
SRK fans: Guards inappropriately touching n pushing SRK’s daughter. Not done! They should be hanged till death
Aamir fans: SRK’s emotionally manipulating the readers / viewers.. Why this hoopla..?
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May 20, 2012 at 5:22 PM
hahahahaha!
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May 20, 2012 at 4:57 PM
anyways, talking about the episode:
I liked it and the content, though hard-hitting as usual, ended up being less disturbing than the earlier ones coz of some uplifting stuff shown and a little bit of humour (the meek guy from Bihar for instance).
Liked the song at the end too 🙂
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May 20, 2012 at 5:10 PM
btw as i mentioned earlier–pray spare a thought of some fellow bloggers who hav suddenly gone ‘quiet’ with this topic…
Hope none of them is a ‘silent victim’…(forget being an ‘offender’ oops)
May god ‘protect’ them
ON this sombre note–will catch some work brielfy…
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May 20, 2012 at 5:26 PM
From where are they pulling out all these statistics?
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May 20, 2012 at 5:28 PM
from Aamir secret diary 🙂
Fake diary 😀
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May 20, 2012 at 5:32 PM
That explains all 😀
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May 20, 2012 at 9:25 PM
Govt numbers…
Click to access Crime%20Clock-05.pdf
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May 21, 2012 at 6:48 AM
Ah. So he’s fishing in the very (un) reliable government pond. I had thought since he is the so called perfectionist he must have let loose innumerable researchers to find out the ‘real’ facts.
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May 20, 2012 at 6:04 PM
Another worthy subject chosen by Aamir.
My impression is things are improving on this score in most urban centres. May be less so in villages.
This is a despicable practice but again it is a tradition which has its roots in the cultural realities. In India, when parents pass on the estate is usually left to the sons. Dowry used to be the way the daughters would get a share of the parental wealth but then it became an expectation and has sunk to the levels we see now and become a source of heinous crimes. But, am optimistic that this is on the wane.
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May 20, 2012 at 6:41 PM
yes, yes…female foeticide in villages; dowry in less educated. Badra lok=bourgeosis will never do such things 😉
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May 20, 2012 at 7:23 PM
I dont think it has anything to do with being bhadralok or being in cities as such but the fact that women are getting more empowered in cities and are able to fight these things.
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May 21, 2012 at 2:28 AM
Off the topic. Harish Iyer has openly said he does not like Aamir Khan or his movies. He frequents Shobhaa de’s columns in the name of Aham. He is an admirer of De and also a social activist besides being a writer himself.
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May 21, 2012 at 2:51 AM
Funny how Aamir critics find newer and newer ways to malign him. Anyway, here is a revealing piece on how Harish Iyer feels about Aamir, post his SJ experience:
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/television/news/2012/aamir-khan-harish-iyer-satyamev-jayate-095704.html
Aamir Khan’s warmth helped me open up says Harish Iyer
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May 21, 2012 at 3:07 AM
That is why I wondered what this Harish is doing on Aamir’s show after openly criticising him on De’s blog.
I am glad that now atleast he appreciates Aamir.
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May 21, 2012 at 6:43 AM
The Aamir Khan Column: It’s your entire life — not just an event
Let’s give marriage the importance it deserves — in every sense, financial, emotional, mental.
Marriage is a terribly important part of life. It’s a partnership you form, a companion you choose, hopefully for the rest of your life. Someone who helps you, who supports you and vice versa. The way we view marriage and the way we approach it determines how our life could end up being.
Today, I want to largely address youngsters, because most of you who are older are already married and for better or worse have already made your choices.
In India we spend so much of our emotions, thoughts, time and money (that which we have, and that which we borrow), towards marriage. But do we actually spend all this time, effort, money and emotion towards marriage? I think not. In fact we concentrate all of these resources not on our marriage, but on our wedding day.
“Bade dhoom dhaam se shaadi,” is probably one of the most common phrases in India. There’s so much of emotion, thought, focus, all concentrated on the ‘event’: “How will I look on that one day?” “How will society perceive me and my chosen partner?” “What will they say about the wedding arrangements?” “What will they say about the invitation card?” “What will they say about the food?” “What will they say about the clothes?”
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/article3439626.ece?homepage=true
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May 21, 2012 at 6:49 AM
Yaar pehle shaadi ladki to mile, baad mei le lenge aamir se advice ki shaadi kaise karni hai..
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May 21, 2012 at 6:54 AM
Tony,
LOL ! Well, I don’t mind Aamir’s advice…4 years & going strong 🙂
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May 21, 2012 at 7:44 AM
Shubh
U sounded too young to be married n a mate!!
4 years ? How many kids do u hav ? 🙂
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May 21, 2012 at 10:49 AM
No kids, as yet :)….Naah, am not that young !!
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May 21, 2012 at 7:05 AM
Run Away from Advises Man 🙂
Especially from tinsel town fellows 😛
Shaadi Ek lottery hain ladka aur ladki k liye.. nikal gayi toh ‘Balle Balle”, nahi nikli toh …… ……………… ( Samjhdar k liye Ishara he kaafi hain)
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May 21, 2012 at 11:09 AM
A poem by the great Gopaldas Neeraj, which fits the bills here
स्वप्न झरे फूल से,
मीत चुभे शूल से,
लुट गये सिंगार सभी बाग़ के बबूल से,
और हम खड़े खड़े बहार देखते रहे।
कारवाँ गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे!नींद भी खुली न थी कि हाय धूप ढल गई,
पाँव जब तलक उठे कि ज़िन्दगी फिसल गई,
पात-पात झर गये कि शाख़-शाख़ जल गई,
चाह तो निकल सकी न, पर उमर निकल गई,
गीत अश्क बन गए,
छंद हो दफन गए,
साथ के सभी दिऐ धुआँधुआँ पहन गये,
और हम झुकेझुके,
मोड़ पर रुकेरुके
उम्र के चढ़ाव का उतार देखते रहे।
कारवाँ गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे।क्या शबाब था कि फूलफूल प्यार कर उठा
,
क्या सुरूप था कि देख आइना मचल उठा
थाम कर जिगर उठा कि जो मिला नज़र उठा,
एक दिन मगर यहाँ,
ऐसी कुछ हवा चली,
लुट गयी कली-कली कि घुट गयी गली-गली,
और हम लुटे-लुटे,
वक्त से पिटे-पिटे,
साँस की शराब का खुमार देखते रहे।
कारवाँ गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे।हाथ थे मिले कि जुल्फ चाँद की सँवार दूँ,
होठ थे खुले कि हर बहार को पुकार दूँ,
दर्द था दिया गया कि हर दुखी को प्यार दूँ,
और साँस यूँ कि स्वर्ग भूमी पर उतार दूँ,
हो सका न कुछ मगर,
शाम बन गई सहर,
वह उठी लहर कि ढह गये किले बिखरबिखर,
और हम डरे-डरे,
नीर नयन में भरे,
ओढ़कर कफ़न, पड़े मज़ार देखते रहे।
कारवाँ गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे!माँग भर चली कि एक
, जब नई नई किरन,
ढोलकें धुमुक उठीं, ठुमक उठे चरन-चरन,
शोर मच गया कि लो चली दुल्हन, चली दुल्हन,
गाँव सब उमड़ पड़ा, बहक उठे नयन-नयन,
पर तभी ज़हर भरी,
गाज एक वह गिरी,
पुँछ गया सिंदूर तार-तार हुई चूनरी,
और हम अजान से,
दूर के मकान से,
पालकी लिये हुए कहार देखते रहे।
कारवाँ गुज़र गया, गुबार देखते रहे।- गोपालदास नीरज
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May 21, 2012 at 4:10 PM
wah! kya baat hai..
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May 21, 2012 at 4:18 PM
Lagta hain ‘DID’ kay shauqeen hoon
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May 21, 2012 at 4:22 PM
DID kahan se aa gaya re?
nahi yaar mai DID nahi dekhta kyunke woh grand master bohot irritate karta hai
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May 21, 2012 at 4:25 PM
Yaha se aaya
Wah Kya Baat, Kya Baat …
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May 21, 2012 at 4:08 PM
Satyam, this is for you:
[post created for Great Gatsby]
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May 21, 2012 at 4:38 PM
Great to see this – thanks idea.
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May 21, 2012 at 5:05 PM
indeed satyam – TGG needs a separate thread: couple of more links
http://www.thegreatgatsbymovie.com
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/worldwide-satellite-trailer-debut-the-great-gatsby-2012-05-21
official trailer releasing today
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May 21, 2012 at 5:11 PM
will have a post for the trailer.
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May 21, 2012 at 4:34 PM
WOW! thanks a ton ideaunique, u have made my day. Satyam, if there r so many posts on sjm, this one deserves a post certainly. just look at bachchan- the greatest actor to have set foot on this earth. it’s luhrman’s good luck that bachchan agreed to do a cameo. Awesome shit!
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May 21, 2012 at 5:00 PM
http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/greenathon-4-aamir-adopts-5-villages/232991
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May 21, 2012 at 5:24 PM
Ok folks-in this ‘aamir’ thread-a commercial break
Just come across this song on a website-totally random
A v cliched setting and style but Rahman makes it worthwhile
Will leave u to Enjoy this -all the die hard aamir fans like arshkhera, Oldgold, graduate
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May 21, 2012 at 5:29 PM
love this song and in general this Rahman album. It’s more ‘middling’ stuff but this is precisely the sort of thing Rahman hardly ever did in Hindi. There’s a kind of spontaneity to the effort that some of his greater efforts in Hindi lack. The other great moment here is kaise mujhe tum. Also like Behka a lot, probably the most innovative track on the album. the two female numbers are enjoyable too.
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May 21, 2012 at 5:34 PM
Agree about the “middling” bit also reflective on the choice of singer and orchestration here
Ps-like the ‘campy old style redux’ way, it goes
“haiy guzaareesh….!”
Incidentally the ‘Número UNO’ playback singer sony nigam is employed by Rahman to provide backing vocals to a debuting singer–but when u hear it-one knows y!!!
Ps2- though ‘kaise mujhe tum’ is a class act not only due to Rahman but the way it has been used in the film by aamir..
It’s a class apart
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May 21, 2012 at 5:36 PM
Rahman has favored Javed Ali over Nigam in recent years. Surprising given that they belong to the same school but I think the former has a more plaintive quality to his voice that certainly works here.
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May 21, 2012 at 6:03 PM
There is story behind it. Sonu was supposed to croon this song but he was in US those days and so javed came in picture, both rehman n sonu has confirmed it…
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May 21, 2012 at 5:43 PM
Satyam, i will differ here. I don’t think javed ali is a patch on sonu. Sonu is the best vocalist in bwood in last 20 yrs- no one is as versatile as sonu as of today
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May 21, 2012 at 6:08 PM
Not saying that one way or the other.. just that his voice has that quality.
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May 21, 2012 at 6:15 PM
oh ok. btw kathryn bigelow is making a film on osama bin laden’s killing. i had put up the info on ‘osma bin laden found dead’ thread. the film releases this yr.
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May 21, 2012 at 5:58 PM
Don’t think it is about sonu nigam or javed alies credentials as singers
It’s a case to case and track to track basis decision for rehman usually
And these ‘decisions’ usually are class acts
For eg- when u can have ANYONE to sing for u, why u take a relatively obscure (@that time) for this outstanding song
A song where the placement and feel of the picturisation matches the song-
Will leave u with this
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May 22, 2012 at 7:34 AM
Really like this song….very deep
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May 21, 2012 at 6:03 PM
People with inherent goodness in their lives do not go about killing infants, or sexually abusing kids or burning brides for dowry. People who engage in such ghastly behavior are psychotic by nature, and they will never ‘get’ the message of this show. On top of that, the issues are nothing new. People with basic general knowledge and awareness already know to caution their kids, and keep their families safe and sound. Maybe some people think that a message from a superstar’s mouth carries more weight. All-in-all, I basically feel that Aamir is preaching to the choir here. His intended audience is already aware of these issues, and they are the last ones to actually be committing these acts. I would not be surprised if this show’s ratings gradually suffer over the next few weeks.
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May 22, 2012 at 3:42 AM
Well summarised there new York kavi ..
Btw
Kudos to aamir for creating even more ‘awareness’
For eg didnt know these problems exist amongst educated and even overseas
Which reminds about the ‘suddenly silent’ here like oldgold etc
We hope and pray they are not being subjected to such wrong stuff and on top of it-seems ‘removal of Internet access’ is another new way of abuse ha
Oops -gOt to be serious here..
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May 22, 2012 at 7:41 AM
Love ‘Guzaarish’ song….it’s so beautiful on many levels.
Satyam,
Re. Aamir……what happened post 2005 that made Aamir become the biggest BO star or the numero uno till now? Would be really interested in your opinion, because in the 90’s it did not look like Aamir would get ahead of SRK but he has. Would he have done it sooner if he hadn’t taken the 3yrs out after Lagaan?
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May 22, 2012 at 8:24 AM
in fact KM, I have been wanting such a write-up from satyam since long – not just what happened after 2005 but where does satyam see aamir 10 years later – in 2020 – with project like Talaash, D3, Pee KAY and then SMJ and maybe some directional ventures and as a producer – few more movies – combine all this – and will he be one of the top 3 or 5 greatest entertainers of BW by then?
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May 22, 2012 at 10:23 AM
Idea
I read your mind
😉
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May 22, 2012 at 9:22 AM
I felt even in 2006 that he was the top star after the double he had with RDB/Fanaa. In fact used to argue with many at the time. The thing is I am always more interested in what a star can potentially do and it seemed to me that after clearing a big threshold with RDB he could easily get the highest absolute grosser if he attempted the right subject. Moreover because he had already got the biggest initial of his time with MP which edged out VZ despite falling after the weekend. Actually in today’s money and with its trending at the time MP would easily have 120-130 crores. So it would have done better than most films that clear 100 crores! It was regarded as a flop at the time. Aamir felt the media played dirty with him on this and I agree with this to a great extent. The pro-SRK forces started overplaying the flop bit in week 1 when the numbers even after dipping were quite alright. Obviously the film wasn’t a hit or anything but it wasn’t the failure that it was made out to be. Very few people lost money on it. In any case when you combine this initial with actually even the RDB one (really one of the biggest at the time) or the Fanaa one (where without Gujarat and of course Ahmedabad which is the third largest grossing city in India, certainly was so at the time by an even bigger margin than today, he pulled in a number which wasn’t that far from the Krrish or KANK totals). Anyway at the time people mocked me and some others who were trying to make the case because of course they used the absolute gross crutch. Aamir eventually got there with Ghajini, here was a gross that shocked the anti-Aamir partisans. It was so much ahead of everything else at the time. And here when people compare numbers they conveniently overlook this aspect. The Ghajini initial was ahead of the top initials of other top stars by 15-20 crores! Much as the final gross was about 30-35 crores more. These are massive gaps. Now 4 years later rather absurdly (and of course cynically) people are still talking about 100 crores when actually 100 is the new 70 or even 60. Any film that can land a big initial will get there even if it tanks. It’s hard to imagine a fall much worse than Ra One’s and it still got to 100. But of course the top number is now 200 crores which everyone pretends doesn’t exist. Why is there a 100 crore ‘club’ at all? Why not a 200 crore one?! Because of course no one else is likely to get there without inflation being a more significant factor. And this is where I have always said that despite everything, despite the trade and media turning kinder on Aamir after his massive grossers (throughout the decade they never really called him the top star.. Akshay after a string of comedy hits was being called this), it is still the case that there is a certain bias against him. Does anyone really believe that they would be talking about 100 crore clubs if SRK had done 200 crores?! And the moment Salman got a big one they immediately placed him at the same level as Aamir. Obviously Salman has been doing supremely well but the long term prospects for the two just aren’t the same. But also Salman is much more dependent on genre. The reason I thought that Aamir was the top guy for a while is the very reason why distributors consider him gold. They of course know that top stars do well in their strength genres. But Aamir guarantees success with very different subjects. No one else does that. The other stars often have dramatically different results with offbeat genres even when they succeed.
Unfortunately many Aamir fans have now adopted the same fanatical approach. They too obsess with the crores. All these years they were ridiculed by SRK fans or whoever for not getting the biggest numbers. Now they do the same to others. And it’s terrible that this has happened because Aamir has never been in the business of fostering this attitude unlike SRK who explicitly used to talk about having the big grossers as a way of silencing all criticism about his films. When stars are blatantly commercial they become great populists! When the shoe is on the other foot and specially when the films don’t do well they become arthouse fanatics and suddenly they’re only making the film for themselves and their pets! Aamir has straddled this divide. He’s never said one or the other. Even when he does a TZP his aim is to find some level of acceptance. Now one could be critical of this approach to the degree that this way you never get a Guru Dutt kind of film for the ages that doesn’t do well initially but is recognized as a hallmark over time. Aamir has been in a very unique position to do this over time. And with no more frontiers to conquer I think he should be taking more of such risks. So in his own way he too seems burdened by the box office by this point. Because today a different subject that he attempts doesn’t have the same level of risk that RDB or TZP once did. Because his prestige is so overwhelming that people show up. Given his uncanny sense of script he can then deliver the ‘satisfying’ film most of the time. I don’t blame him for doing for what he does for multiple reasons but he also might be missing out on the chance to deliver that truly great film. But in any case these could the contours of a criticism (I once did a longer piece on this). However he hasn’t been a purist either way. So the cynicism of the fans in this sense just doesn’t match his spirit. Much as the lack of generosity of the same fans in trying to shut the door on other stars by using the arguments that SRK fans used against them is also more than a little distasteful. And this is where one has to ask oneself: is one’s devotion to a star such that it overrides all sense of reason? Many fans are very good-natured about this. They don’t even attack other stars. They’re just only interested in their favorite but they do so with a scary kind of blindness where they don’t care about the subject or the part or whatever. They simply want the star to deliver all the crores possible. Again devotion to a star shouldn’t become a religion.
Aamir’s position in the 90s was better than the numbers would suggest though the numbers are also better than the media coverage would suggest! The big deficit he had with respect to SRK was on the ‘iconic’ front. And in fairness this is a gap he can never close. He will I think be the greater star in historic terms but SRK has been more the star of his age than anyone else, at least in terms of the multiplex audience and the diaspora, which have really been the major part of the Bollywood pie. So aamir had this deficit but over the last decade he changed the nature of the conversation, a structural one in many ways where the prestige film became very important and even successful stars felt the pressure to do more meaningful stuff. This combined with a waning of the SRK world. Eventually Aamir’s prestige overwhelmed everything else because his credibility was also greatest. People felt that if he was in a film they would like it. This ‘respect’ has been earned with enormous effort. And so his brandname is now singular in many ways. But the iconic appeal SRK represented was a different cup of tea. I don’t think that Aamir could have overtaken him in the 90s. Because the Yashraj paradigm was dominant, Aamir wasn’t willing to jump on board and even if he had he couldn’t have been a better star for that terrain that SRK. And the industry wasn’t in the right place at the time for him to begin the Lagaan ‘revolution’ and then also follow it up with other good stuff (DCH, RDB etc). Here people forget that no matter how important the star, no matter how smart the star there has to be a good institutional apparatus in place. So for example over the last decade a lot of interesting stuff has been happening in Bollywood. This wasn’t the case in the 90s. And this is true for the greatest stars by the way. There have to be the right filmmakers and scripts in place. Take Abhishek for example. One of his key problems, rarely remarked upon, is this lack of an institutional framework. Because he is best suited for precisely many of the films his father did (not to compare the two of course) whether the dramatic ones or the comedies. However he doesn’t get them in his industry. No one writes those kinds of scripts. So he has to wait for a Rathnam or occasionally an RGV or Rohan Sippy. But these are also ‘auteurist’ filmmakers who aren’t necessarily in the business of making mass films. The Southern masala variant is just too ‘non-serious’ to be a permanent option for any actor who considers himself a serious one. And even if he did focus on the metrosexual bit more this too wouldn’t present him in the most effective sense the way a Yuva or Guru does. In other words parts that play on his physicality. The Southern masala can do that of course but these are fluff films for the most part. And the reason I get into Abhishek here is because he is most like Aamir in certain ways but also the un-Aamir. Which is to say he’s been willing to take greater risks than the latter but he’s also tried to do the meaningful as often as he could. But if this were the 70s he could thread that needle. The current system doesn’t allow him to do this. Aamir has the best brain around but part of being smart in this sense is to simply not do a film that cannot run no matter how interesting it looks. As I’ve said before Aamir stopped after one MP, Abhishek among other things is the guy who kept doing MP. So there are very many ways of looking at this but the star no matter how big still requires institutional support. With Lagaan Aamir reinvented himself but Bollywood was also arriving at the right place. He still heralded a great many things but he also had important partners. Bachchan in the 70s had the great Salim-Javed scripts or a director like Desai. Great as Bachchan is in the Mukherjee films he couldn’t have become the phenomenon he did without Vijay or Anthony. So the history is always crucial.
Now finally whether he could have done it earlier after Lagaan sure! Just as a greater volume would have helped him too. But in a sense this too is an imaginary position. Because people who think that way don’t chart out the course that Aamir did. If you’re simply about being proclaimed number one or what have you you don’t take many of the risks Aamir did beginning with Lagaan. Some stars have a longer arc in mind, some just have tomorrow! I should also add here that a great deal of Aamir’s efforts after the mid-90s or so shouldn’t be underestimated. These might not have seemed like massive moments at the time but he was trying to do the meaningful thing for a very long time. Lagaan changed everything for him (and one must never forget that moments like this reset the clock, much as Dabanng did so for Salman in a different way) but he had been moving toward that space for some time. Aamir spent many years not being a central part of the conversation the way SRK was but without that ‘preparation’ he couldn’t have taken advantage of the changes that occurred. Much as SRK despite seeing the writing on the wall couldn’t do the opposite. You have to believe in it. You’re either the cynical star simply thinking about the box office or not. To be fair SRK tried some of this stuff in the 90s as part of his overall package but none of it worked and he walked away from it. Again SRK stopped doing Dil Se after a while. Abhishek didn’t. Aamir figured out a successful way of compromising between these two extremes. But aamir’s example also offers a cautionary note to those who get too hung up on what’s happening today. This is especially so for Aamir’s own fans who display the same unfortunate tendencies. No one could have expected Aamir’s success at this scale in the 90s. Much as in a different sense no one could have expected Salman’s resurgence with Dabanng. After the event the narratives are all rewritten and the failures of the past become less important or part of the new triumphalist narrative. But things are a lot more complicated than this. And one should have humility either way.
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May 22, 2012 at 9:41 AM
as expected – an excellent write-up satyam. thanks. I think your this and other write-ups about aamir, big b, abhi and other need a permament place under the titles like “genesis of Big B”, “genesis of aamir”….
“Now one could be critical of this approach to the degree that this way you never get a Guru Dutt kind of film for the ages that doesn’t do well initially but is recognized as a hallmark over time. Aamir has been in a very unique position to do this over time. And with no more frontiers to conquer I think he should be taking more of such risks. So in his own way he too seems burdened by the box office by this point”
this is an interesting point. And I do agree – for eg, he should have done at-least one biopic – Guru dutt or Kishore Kumar’s – somehow he didn’t. But he can still do it.
In a way, I feel he has shied away to be the “star” or “hog the limelight” in many a films where he could have easily overshadowed the “film” with his “star-power” – but he seems to be giving more importance to the entire product than his own role – so maybe yes, we still yearn for that “one” film where aamir delivers a knock-out film like Guide, Pyasaa, Devdas (D.K.), Don, Mukaddar Ka Sikander etc. Ghulam to me comes closest where aamir did the title role and almost gave that “one” knock-out performance – but comparing it with other classics will be blasphemous – so ….
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May 22, 2012 at 10:15 AM
Rangeela/Sarfarosh?
I loved Aamir in DCH…..radical change from his floppy hair days in Mann/Sarfarosh…even his body language.
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May 22, 2012 at 10:18 AM
Agreed
Would love Aamir to do a biopic on guru dutt
But imo knowing Aamir he would make it a low budget-low risk affair….
😉
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May 22, 2012 at 10:29 AM
i think the only performances which can be considered iconic since last 2 decades r- bachchan in agneepath and black, srk in ddlj, salman in dabanng and sanju in munnabhai films (and probably abhishek in guru)- now on a personal level i find so many aamir acts better than srk’s ddlj but sadly they have not become ‘truly iconic’
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May 22, 2012 at 11:01 AM
Wouldn’t call Bachchan’s Black iconic. It’s been one of the 2-3 most celebrated performances though. Agneepath has definitely been iconic though this would not have seemed to be the case after its initial release! On SRK I’d say that the Raj-Rahul persona has been more iconic than any single film part (though DDLJ was of course hugely so) and in fact the Darr guy has in some ways remained the more iconic reference point. The ‘kkk…iran’ bit is still caricatured in most of the comedy routines. Would agree on Salman in Dabanng, Abhishek in Guru, Dutt in Munnabhai. Agneepath is here the interesting example of film that wasn’t as important for its immediate generation as for the one that followed. The truly important iconic performance is always hard to achieve though for a variety of reasons. Abhishek interestingly has greatest instant recall across the country for either his Guru outing or his Idea one. Neither side is one that has been seen very often in his films since Guru if at all.
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May 22, 2012 at 11:07 AM
DDLJ was Kajol’s film- KKHH was SRK’s. She had the better of the 2 lead roles in DDLJ for sure- I would call the film itself iconic- and of course the film in now remembered primarily as an SRK film- but SRK’s performance by itself is hardly iconic. I think that SRK’s lover boy avatar in itself is far more iconic than any of his specific lover boy roles.
Isn’t Madhuri’s performance in HAHK pretty iconic as well?
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May 22, 2012 at 11:08 AM
what abt Saif as Langda Tyaagi. And Hrithik in Krrish is obviously not a great act or something but i don’t think one can easily forget the fact that he was india’s 1st true-blue superhero
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May 22, 2012 at 11:12 AM
What about Hrithik in KNPH? It was a terrible movie but didn’t it inspire a massive ‘Hrithik Mania’ or something? And I would say that Omkara is pretty iconic for Saif as well.
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May 22, 2012 at 11:26 AM
The iconic I think is something more specific. Hrithik is certainly an iconic star but I don’t believe he’s had a true iconic part so far.
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May 22, 2012 at 11:29 AM
Ami, KNPH did give hrithik a mass fan following but it has not become an iconic act since then. also do not agree on ddlj being a kajol film. but yes madhuri was certainly iconic in hahk. other female iconic performances of the last 2 decades r rani in black and kajol in ddlj and kkhh
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May 22, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Hmm…I have seen all of SRK’s sugary 90s romances- sort of a guilty pleasure- I always think of DDLJ as Kajol’s film and KKHH as SRK’s. DDLJ was told largely from her perspective and her role had more scope/ range compared to SRK’s rich boy Raj. I would say that DDLJ was her iconic role- she didn’t have much to do in KKHH- that was an SRK show all the way.
I also have a feeling that Vidya’s Silk is going to become pretty iconic in the coming years- if it hasn’t already done so. For instance that ‘entertainment, entertainment, entertainment’ dialogue is as popular as any hero’s punchline in recent memory. And then there is all the hysteric media coverage and awards etc.
Satyam- yes now that I think about it Hirthik probably doesn’t have any iconic performances as such even if he is an iconic star. What about Sunny Deol in Gaddar- do you think that is iconic?
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May 22, 2012 at 11:46 AM
No, on the last one. Don’t think the TDP part is becoming iconic either. On DDLJ/KKHH I get your ‘perspective’ point but otherwise I’d say KKHH is much more Kajol’s film and DDLJ SRK’s.
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May 22, 2012 at 11:53 AM
“Iconic” aside, I actually think for Abhishek the Yuva and Bluffmaster performances are most resonant and “defining” for his audience base. It’s these parts that exemplify his screen appeal most effectively. The Yuva work is probably still his single best performance and certainly has that iconic appeal that finds its origins within the earlier Bachchan’s “angry man” filmography.
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May 22, 2012 at 12:03 PM
If I were asked to name my very favorite Abhishek performances today I’d cite those two and add DMD.
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May 22, 2012 at 9:49 AM
Satyam a very nice assessment here. somethings i wanted to ask u abt- 1) in the early 90’s when sanjay dutt had 3 big hits- sadak, saajan and khalnaayak, didn’t he become the top-most star for that short while? but the media never accepts this right? 2) also, strictly talking abt acting abilities, do u believe aamir is a better actor than dutt? aamir has done some fabulous films but i don’t think he has an iconic performance like a ‘munnabhai’- would love to know ur views on these
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May 22, 2012 at 9:58 AM
Yes Dutt was considered in the running to be the top star at the time but it was a very short period.
And yes I absolutely consider Aamir better than Dutt though the latter can be very effective at times. I do agree that Aamir is probably not the kind of actor who can deliver the Munnabhai kind of ‘fluid’ performance. He came closest to such a moment with Rangeela. On the other hand he’s developed greatly as a dramatic actor.
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May 22, 2012 at 10:13 AM
Satyam,
If there were filmfare awards for writing posts….I would give you one for best comment of the year 😉
On a serious note…..SRK’s success & popularity was huge in the 90’s…he came like a storm and was an overnight sensation with Baazigar/Darr & DDLJ. The media & perception did not help Aamir. However to give credit to Aamir he worked really hard and kept to his guns. He was always known as a serious actor back then. His insistence on quality content definately changed the field from the mindset of the 90’s.
I felt that 2006 was a gr8 year for Aamir, but did not personally feel that it was the turning point. TZP convinced me that Aamir had taken over from SRK, because the praise Aamir had for TZP was deafening, as a director and a gr8 boost esp. for ‘Brand Aamir’. Come 2008, the media was on his side and JTYJN was another in the cap of Aamir’s young production company. Ghajni sealed the deal. It was a monster and everyone was shocked at the business it did. 3idiots must have been a dream for him and even in his absence 2010 & 2011, his production did wonders.
I also agree that I would like Aamir to do more riskier films. But he’s at a stage now where he probably feels that he doesn’t need to experiment. however Talaash is a challenge because it will be tough to beat the BO expectations of 3i and even Ghajni (after you adjust inflation etc), and also because the media are now proclaiming Salman as the number 1, due to Aamir’s absence. Although salman himself said that Aamir is the top dog.
As an Aamir fan, I do tend to get overexcited and go overboard with praise, but after your comments re.fanaticism….I promise to tone it down 😉
However I think Aamir has got a brilliant few yrs lined up….
2012 – SMJ & Talaash
2013 – D3 & PK
I hope Aamir delivers a gr8 performance in PK….I would personally like Hirani to push him.
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May 22, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Satyam doesn’t accept Filmfares..He is more like Oscars 😉
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May 22, 2012 at 10:28 AM
Satyam,
I would love Aamir to work with Mani Ratnam on something r.edgy like a Yuva/Guru type of film
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May 22, 2012 at 10:53 AM
It’s unlikely to ever happen..
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May 22, 2012 at 11:37 AM
Some years ago there was news of Aamir meting with Ratnam on something. It ended up not translating into a movie but nevertheless this would have a been a good outcome. Though really Aamir isn’t the kind of actor Ratnam normally works with.
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May 23, 2012 at 6:26 AM
lol Munna
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May 24, 2012 at 9:31 AM
Satyam
Would Aamir’s QSQT be called iconic?
Because the song ‘papa kehte hain’ has amazing recall value
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May 24, 2012 at 10:12 AM
It was iconic at the time, don’t think it’s quite been so in the same way since. See my longer note here but even at the time MPK was much more iconic in every sense. The thing about QSQT was that it came like a breath of fresh air (to use the cliche) in ’88 and became instantly popular but independently the film and everything connected with it wasn’t quite as hugely iconic as some other examples.
But this also gets me to a point I often make with respect to Abhishek. Aamir also walked away from QSQT relatively early. First off all he signed a number of poor films after this, almost all of them flopped. But he had a huge triumph like Dil in 1990 and at a more moderate level DHKMT a bit later. But he walked away from the romance relatively early. Got into some very rooted stuff (which at the time was quite retrograde), Rangeela was an exception and became a high point. Nonetheless with his choices he was able to always maintain a good success ratio but this still didn’t matter all that much to the larger narrative. In other words he was an A star for sure but one whose prestige outranked his films and even sometimes his grosses (RH made more than KKHH and certainly sold a lot more tickets but it didn’t matter as it wasn’t important for the reigning Bollywood equations). In the late 90s it was often said that his films were slow starters. This was unfair as it only really applied to a film like Sarfarosh and something like GHulam (which did really well only in Bombay). When he did Ishq or Mann or something the initials were quite strong. But again he wasn’t part of the most iconic films of his day by and large, he also wasn’t playing to his core image and he paid a price. He reinvented himself with Lagaan and the rest is history but just before this film he had Mela!
I’ve made the case that in terms of grosses the SRK record is not even half as impressive as its selling, even for his peak period in the latter half of the 90s. I’ve done comparisons with Aamir and Salman in this regard. Nonetheless SRK was riding the iconic wave of his age and of course for a long time he was light years ahead in the key overseas markets. In terms of where Bollywood was going in the 90s Aamir had hit a real point of stagnation, despite steady success. And he realized it as well which is why he started taking more risks in some ways. He clearly wasn’t going to be the guy relegated to Indra Kumar’s hits! This doesn’t mean it was a cynical decision, very early on his his career he did Raakh. He always had enough of a meaningful cinema dream. But all in all if Aamir had continued the way he had been in the 90s he would have been overtaken by history. He needed reinvention and he did it on his terms. My only point here is that on the one hand Aamir prepared for Lagaan for much longer than people think and so when the right moment came he had certain tools in place. At the same time Lagaan still reset the clock and therefore the pre-Lagaan history cannot be appropriated to everything that followed (though of course a successful event reorders the narrative of the past) in that direct sense. To be more theoretical about it Aamir’s signification in the 90s was very different from the same since Lagaan and the distinction isn’t about ‘degree’ but an alternate narrative. This is by the way where many SRK fans err where they try very hard to have his initials or grosses match the leading ones of other stars. Because it’s not just about this. SRK’s Yashraj world is over! Doesn’t mean he cannot still make successful or very successful movies, he still has important segments of his erstwhile base with him. But that the world which was defined by his films is no longer so. and once that narrative shifts it cannot be made up simply by grosses (even when a star does get them though again note that when the tide turns in this sense it’s hard to reach even those high points.. so Ra One or Don 2 are not just inadequate films but symptoms of SRK’s decline.. in other words if the times hadn’t changed he wouldn’t have been forced to bet everything on these films).
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May 24, 2012 at 9:39 AM
Do not think so QSQT is iconic at all. Aamir has many iconic films but no iconic role. Dutt’s Khalnaayak and Sunny Dhai Kilo ka haath act from Damini r much more popular than QSQT yet even Khalnaayak falls short of being iconic
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May 22, 2012 at 10:12 AM
Yes agreed with u on Rangeela- also aamir’s ‘munna’ act there had shades of bachchan’s anthony imo. another actor who could have been a bigger deal i believe was Jackie Shroff- he did some very good acts in Kaash, Parinda, Hero, Gardish, Angaar etc. Also if i am not wrongs, roles like Palay Khan which he did later, were earlier written for bachchan.
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May 22, 2012 at 10:21 AM
Jackie was a v.interesting actor…..but he sort of faded in the 90’s….in his 2nd decade….which is way too early for a top actor. Did he not re-invent himself or was his fan base not strong enough?
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May 22, 2012 at 11:22 AM
Speaking of all this iconic, Can’t believe my ears ( errr eyes) that I am hearing Hrithik as Iconic in KNPH and Krissh, really? Lagda Tyagi iconic? Okay then, Ajay devgan is iconic too in company and even vivek oberoi is iconic if you go by that rule. I think some of our friends are really taking the word iconic for granted here. Just because a movie was a massive success it does not calculate the star into a iconic persona for that film. Given that these films were huge and had a massive fan following for its star,But i wouldnt call the act iconic by any stretch. I mean we are comparing here the likes of Bachchan’s iconic act in Agneepath, or even Anthony for that matter, And as Satyam rightly said kkkkiran is still being used on many comedies context. Or even the Rahul..naam to suna hoga is an iconic tag..(agree with you Ami that Srks lover boy is somesort of an iconic act). We have to be very careful when we say iconic. How many lines do we remember of these so called iconic characters that we are talking about. We still remember Vijay Denanath Chauhan, or Itna tez to aadmi doij time bhagta hai or kkkiran..and the rahul one as pointed out earlier. Lets not get carried away with the iconic status here friends.
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May 22, 2012 at 11:26 AM
in the last few years i would rate Dabang iconic. The character of chulbel pandey has its own commerical now (with a salman look a like). That happened with Amitabh’s character in Hum when it came out with some pan masala commercial. heck, I even dressed up as a chulbul pandey at one of the Halloween parties last year and was appreciated for it as well.
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May 22, 2012 at 11:27 AM
yes Dabanng has definitely been iconic in every sense from the star to the music to the character of chulbul Pandey.
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May 22, 2012 at 1:18 PM
Yup, agree on the musci front too, they have some tv commercial here in US (not sure if you seen it) with some send money to india thing, it even has the whole jail scene created with Dabaang BG score and the whole nine. That’s pretty damn iconic if you ask me.
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May 22, 2012 at 12:43 PM
There is a difference between an iconic performance and a great performance. I think an iconic role is the one which has infiltrated popular imagination and has high recall value. As is usually the case, AB leads the pack when it comes to iconic roles. IMHO his acts in Zanjeer, Deewar, Sholay, AAA, Don, Namak Halal, Sharabi, and Agneepath are iconic.
Agree with you on SRK being iconic in Darr and DDLJ and Salman Khan as Chulbul Pandey in Dabangg being iconic.
Also think that Munnabhai was an iconic role.
PS: Sholay is an exceptional case. An actor would be lucky if he has one iconic role in his career and here we have Sholay where even the minor characters like mausi, Shurma Bhopali, Jailor, and Sambha have become iconic. Forget human beings, the horse Dhanno and the village of Ramgarh have become part of folklore by now!
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May 22, 2012 at 12:48 PM
“There is a difference between an iconic performance and a great performance. I think an iconic role is the one which has infiltrated popular imagination and has high recall value. As is usually the case, AB leads the pack when it comes to iconic roles. IMHO his acts in Zanjeer, Deewar, Sholay, AAA, Don, Namak Halal, Sharabi, and Agneepath are iconic.:
Thanks matrix, and thats exactly my point here as well. You cant just take an actor and place him as an iconic act from that film just because it was a hit. I think tezaab was a bigger hit than Ram Lakhan but the Lakhan is more iconic than the character played by AK in tezaab. Agreee with you everything you said here. Thanks.
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May 22, 2012 at 1:11 PM
matrix u r right on sholey. apart from it zanjeer remains the only film with so many iconic roles- vijay khanna, teja, sher khan and even mona darling. anil kapoor also has mr. india as iconic role. there is a very slim chance that ranbir’s rockstar act may becum iconic
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May 22, 2012 at 1:14 PM
As far as I remember it Saurabh, Mr. India was all Sridevi and Mogambo show. The only time I will take anil as an iconic performer is in Ram Lakhan. Even Beta (note the title) Madhuri and Aruna Irani walked away with all the praise. if I i am not mistaken they both recieved and award for their performances.
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May 22, 2012 at 1:23 PM
u r right on beta though even anil got the best actor award for it. though there was a huge controversy that it should have gone to aamir for his debut act in QSQT but supposedly anil had ‘bought’ the award
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May 22, 2012 at 1:28 PM
Yup agreed, on the whole beta controversery but it wasn’t for QSQT it was for Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar and thats the reason why Aamir Khan stopped coming to awards once he learned that Anil had bought of his Beta, Its since then not because of SRK as it is misconceptualized many times.
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May 22, 2012 at 1:33 PM
oh yes u r right it was JJWS. btw this is the way we should debate where even while disagreeing we r ready to listen and get persuaded by other’s point of view
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May 22, 2012 at 11:51 AM
For Alex-
Nargis Fakhri has been dropped from Akshay Kumar’s new film because she looks too sophisticated/ sexy to play Mithun’s sister. I feel sorry for the replacement actress whom they will deem homely/ unattractive enough for the part. And this whole incident has a disgusting racist undertone to it.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Nargis-Fakhri-too-hot-to-be-Mithundas-sister/articleshow/13382239.cms
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May 22, 2012 at 4:21 PM
this is derogatory stuff.
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May 22, 2012 at 12:00 PM
Ami, btw in coming yrs i am sure imran khan is going to enthrall us with many an iconic performances. sorry, couldn’t resist …LOL. btw have u seen ‘mission kashmir’
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May 22, 2012 at 12:17 PM
coming to iconic negative roles of hindi cinema we have- amjad as gabbar, ajit as teja, ajit as loin, kulbhushan kharbanda as shaakaal, anupam kher as dr. dang, amrish puri as mogambo and saif as langda tyaagi. notable mention- ashutosh rana as gokul pandit in dusham and as lajja shankar in sangharsh
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May 22, 2012 at 12:39 PM
All mentioned above are great iconic characters saurabh, But I would not put Langda tyaagi anywhere near these legends, Even gokul pandit was a good act, but nothing iconic here friend. My way of categorizing them as iconic is a simple way. I remember a line from every one of them you mentioned but can’t recall a single line from langda tyaagi or goku pandit. That should justify why I dont think tyagi or pandit dont qualify. The others you mentioned. Yaar bachcha bachcha unke dialogue janta hai aur dhaurata hai. Do I make sense?
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May 22, 2012 at 1:19 PM
Kash, i get ur criteria but if we only go by that akshay kumar’s ‘khiladi’ acts should becum iconic bcos even today (and always will) he is known as ‘khiladi kumar’. i am putting langda tyaagi as iconic bcos it was a flawless ‘mainstream’ enactment of an iconic shakespearean character of Iago. and also because it will, in all probality, be rwmembered as saif’s best performance ever- though obviously,as u r saying, his role is far less popular than others.
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May 22, 2012 at 1:25 PM
” though obviously,as u r saying, his role is far less popular than others.”
And thats why exactly its not an iconic character at all. Its the popularity mostly that leads these actors into the iconic bracket. Iconic kya hota hai? Jab koi bole just “sarkar” you have amitbabh bachchan sitting in front of your eyes and sipping tea and saying “Mujhe jo sahi lagta hai woh mai karta hoon”, The first flash that runs through your mind. (I maybe exaggerating here). When I hear omkara I see Ajay Devgan’s act and somewhat that other guy (forget his name) that jumps of the bridge for dolly. You know, Just because it was a terrific performance does not make it iconic. For example, Khakee, Maybe after agneepath Khakee is bachchan’s best act, but I would consider Sarkar Iconic, public ko woh character zyada yaad reh gaya hai. And when one speaks of Khakee, it was not just about Bachchan the whole film is great, you have some great performances from everyone including Akshay Kumar, Even Tushar was compenent enough, But I wouldn’t call it iconic for Tushar, u know bro?
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May 22, 2012 at 1:38 PM
Kash, i think i will agree to what u r saying and will concede this point to u. on ajay devgn if i am compelled to ‘forcefully’ name a sumwhat iconic role, it will easily be ‘bhagat singh’ and certainly not company. actually even his gangaajal and OUATIM r more popular acts than company. bte if we relax the criteria of ‘iconicity’ a bit , even sanju’s ‘khalnaayak’ act is very very popular and comes very close to being iconic. btw u still have not answered my query on ‘khiladi kumar’?
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May 22, 2012 at 1:48 PM
On the company front, AD’s company act is not iconic watsoever that was a sarcastic remark to just give an example that if we go by a hit film it does not make it in to a iconic character, I would be nuts to call vivek’s act iconic in company, No doubt he has done a great job but there was a better one before that and THAT one is iconic which is Bhiku Matre remember “Mumbai Ka King kaun?” Regarding Akshay Kumar, Not denying that his whole Khiladai persona is iconic just like SRK’s rahul/raj lover boy act is iconic (the persona here) not a specific character from any film persay and just like that Hrithik is somewhat Iconic as Satyam mentioned somwhere above the whole good looking/dancing/perfect physique persona as an iconic but you cannot call his KNPH or Krissh as an iconic act/character. So in that sense yes, Khiladi Kumar the persona is iconic but have yet to see Akshay break out with an Iconic performance. When Matrix, Satyam (if i can speak for you guys) and myself mention the iconics of bachchans characters from those films, the actual characters we are talking about here. Not the persona. To me the Bachchan persona is a lot more iconic than any character that he has ever done, be it deewar or anthony bhai. Vijay the character taht he has played many times also becomes iconic just like Khiladi Kumar (no comparison ofcourse, but its good for a debate here). Thats what we mean here Saurabh.
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May 22, 2012 at 12:29 PM
Satyam, i wonder why u did not put a post on the Zanjeer Remake. Official cast- Ram Charan Teja as Vijay Khanna, Priyanka Chopra in Jaya Bhaduri’s role, Arjun Rampal as Sher Khan, Prakash Raj as Teja and Mahie Gill as Mona Darling. the screenplay is being written by the guy who did the same for kahaani,namastey london and singh is kinng. director as we all know is lakhia. and supposedly in the remake vijay takes on the oil mafia
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May 22, 2012 at 1:21 PM
whats ‘iconic’ and what’s not!!!
Well, may contribute after some ‘music session’ with harrison and co.
But thjis reminds me of
Trying to compare the assets of Pamela anderson , Abi Titmus, zeenat aman and say Anna kournikova
And hold on .. Trying to ‘rationalise’ and ‘scientifically intellectualise’ the ‘choices’ and making it appear like tw results of a randomised control multicentre trial
Hoho 🙂
Off 2 ‘music’ class
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May 22, 2012 at 1:59 PM
Aamir’s tweet today :
“Hey guys, great news! The Lok Sabha has passed the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Bill today!!! Unbelievable!!! Super News! ”
Officially, we finally have a law…it was earlier passed in the Rajya Sabha.
Nice to see the follow-ups & updates by the host/makers on earlier issues !
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May 22, 2012 at 2:01 PM
Don’t tell me its because of SMJ 🙂
ps: I am filling for OG 🙂
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May 22, 2012 at 5:53 PM
🙂
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May 22, 2012 at 2:02 PM
fantastic!
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May 22, 2012 at 4:52 PM
Great news!
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May 22, 2012 at 5:58 PM
You mean there was no such law in existence already till Amir opened the government’s eyes?
No such necessary laws, but nuclear weapons aplenty!!!
I would be afraid to have a government who learns from some actor on TV earning crores from tales of victims.
But the episode was just 8/9 days ago. Are bills passed through both houses so quickly? Or was it again Amir’s influence?
I certainly would be afraid to live in a country where my future was in his hands.
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May 22, 2012 at 6:10 PM
good to hear from u oldgold…
hope that u are not a ‘silent sufferer’ like in aamirs program..
there is so much talk of this stuff in educated folks and also overseas..
not being naughty lol–we are here to ‘help’
“I certainly would be afraid to live in a country where my future was in his hands.” 🙂
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May 23, 2012 at 1:01 AM
India’s an impossible country my dear.
a country of extremes. Some NGOs would run their throats dry and shout at the rooftops for 50 odd years without any steps being taken in any regard. A 90-minute TV show will do the trick
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May 23, 2012 at 6:47 AM
gr8 news…..my only gripe is that it was passed after the 3rd show
😉
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May 22, 2012 at 4:55 PM
An interesting, enlightening discussion on iconic ‘characters’ and otherwise. More or less agree with every comment above.
I do think Aamir’s Rangeela act may be called iconic if there ever was. Post 2000s, it was always about the films, which I appreciate him for.
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May 23, 2012 at 6:35 AM
As we are talking abt Rangeela, RGV has something to say about Aamir in that movie….
http://www.naachgaana.com/2012/05/23/i-blame-abhishek-for-bringing-sanjay-dutt-rgv/
There were problems with Sanjay Dutt and co-producer Dharam Uberoi even during the making of the film?
The problems were innumerable, ranging from Dutt’s coming late to last-minute cancellation of shoots and schedules to erratically wanting to change the content of scenes in the name of creative discussions that are not to be confused with mindless interference. Aamir and me had creative differences during Rangeela but I didn’t pay heed to the mistakes he pointed out. Despite Rangeela becoming a blockbuster, when I saw the film much later, I felt I had gotten away with the mistakes that he had pointed out. I genuinely believe Rangeela would have been a bigger hit had I listened to Aamir. The difference being Aamir’s suggestions and observations came from a long and intense deliberation on his part and not like Dutt who was blurting out without thinking, encouraged by the likes of Dharam who pander to him for their personal benefits.
——–
So are RGV & Aamir friends now? 😉
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May 22, 2012 at 5:01 PM
well if rangeela is iconic, then khalnaayak and krrish are certainly more iconic and langda tyaagi is undoubtedly iconic.
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May 22, 2012 at 5:09 PM
what about Govinda in Haseena Maan Jayegi, Akshay in Namastey London, and Ajay Devgn in Singham? 😀
Lol.. j/k
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May 22, 2012 at 5:11 PM
On a serious note, Saif was undeniably brilliant as Langda Tyagi, but the film in question needs to be somewhat of a cult favourite on a pan-India basis, for the character to be liked! Omkara is a classic all right but doubt if many people outside internet forums and metropolitans have high regard of it.
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May 23, 2012 at 6:43 AM
How abt Aamir’s role in DCH
AAAkaaashhhh 😉
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May 22, 2012 at 5:14 PM
similarly, Krrish was hardly influential at its time. Here Hritik was sincere but hardly quoted ever when it came to ‘looking back at cinema over the years’. He wasnt even India’s first superhero – Mr. India came much before that
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May 22, 2012 at 5:16 PM
actually u r right and omkara not having a pan indian appeal is the only thing which goes against saif’s iconicity. on govinda he does not have one iconic performance but his roles in all the No.1 films r certainly iconic.
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May 23, 2012 at 12:25 AM
Satyam, starting with ur wonderful write-up here – pl. create a new post for “Iconic performances and aamir and big b and abhi and…..” 🙂
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May 23, 2012 at 2:20 AM
Satyamev Jayate continues momentum into 2nd week
Reaches out to 27.8 crore Indians within two weeks; notches impressive numbers in online media
http://www.bestmediainfo.com/2012/05/satyamev-jayate-continues-momentum-into-2nd-week/
Satyamev Jayate has continued its momentum into week 2. The show has delivered a reach of 27.8 crore people with the first two episodes. According to TAM data for Week 20, Satyamev Jayate rated a 4.4 TVR in HSM markets (All 4+, HSM) and a national TVR of 3.7 (All 4+, All India). These are simulcast ratings of the original episode aired on Sunday morning 11 AM across nine channels (Star Plus, Star Pravah, Star Jalsha, Star World, Star Utsav, Star Vijay, Asianet, ETV Telegu and Doordarshan).
The combined viewership over the first two weeks crossed 8.2 crore as per the TAM universe (Original + repeat airings). This figure when extrapolated to All India Universe, as per industry conversions, means that the show has reached out to 27.8 crore viewers in India since its launch. This is an indication that the Sunday morning slot has been galvanised as a reach aggregator.
The show has also generated a strong online buzz. The pre-launch campaign on digital reached out to a record 73 per cent of the online audience in India at about 8.2 crore people. It has reached out to 75 per cent of the Twitter audience and has generated a record 16 crore impressions on Twitter since launch. The show has trended over the last three weeks with each topic catching the attention of the online audience. On Facebook the show has reached out to 1.4 crore users and is well on its way to reaching a million fans. This will be a record for any show on Indian television. The show has also had more than 1.1 crore hits on YouTube with a massive 97 per cent like rate. It has received over 2 million votes of support and over 1 crore has been received as donations for the first two episodes.
Sanjay Gupta, COO, Star India, said, “It is very heartening to see the continued solid performance of Satyamev Jayate in its second week. It’s a testimony to the strength of the concept and the way the content has touched people all over the country. The show has generated a historic reach at 27.8 crore Indians over the last two weeks and has generated unprecedented buzz and impact. However beyond the numbers, what is truly historic is the story and narrative of change sparked by the show.”
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May 23, 2012 at 6:51 AM
Thanks for posting the article
Very encouraging…
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May 23, 2012 at 2:30 AM
Impressive & heartening numbers. One of the primary aims of the host & makers was the show reaching out to widest possible audience…and they have more than succeeded thus far.
“However beyond the numbers, what is truly historic is the story and narrative of change sparked by the show.”
Couldn’t agree more !
The show thus far has definitely made an “impact” one way or the other.
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May 23, 2012 at 3:50 AM
INDIA: What Aamir Khan does is good and is done perfectly
http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-ART-040-2012
Aamir Khan is a topmost name in India’s film industry. I am not familiar at all with Indian films in recent times but I know his name, as almost everybody does. I had the opportunity to watch his series Satyamev Jayate (Truth Alone Prevails), available online here: http://www.satyamevjayate.in/broadcast on StarPlus on Sundays.
Aamir Khan emerges here as a good communicator, the type of communicator we need in the media. He introduces topics of enormous social importance. The shows telecast so far deal with the abortion of female fetuses in India, and with child sexual abuse. The information he brings to the public, while being shocking, is the kind of information that the public need to know if much needed changes are to happen and happen soon.
What is most impressive about the show is that he brings before the audience people with daring character, people who have the courage to tell of ugly events that have shattered their lives. The spirit of defiance of these people is perhaps the most important message in this series. It demonstrates the will of the people who by have been unfortunate enough to face very bad and very saddening experiences, who have seen in their own lives the great social evils that exist in their society. They come forward voluntarily before that same society to tell these stories and thus confront these social evils.
This is the kind of confrontation that the society cannot and will not ignore. By creating opportunities for such confrontations, a creative communicator forcefully challenges his society. It is this creative capacity in Aamir Khan that comes out most forcefully, and one wishes that he should do more of this and that he should become a role model who should be imitated.
The word victim often carries an idea of someone who has suffered and has been silenced. However, what we see in this telecast are not such persons but those who wish to talk loudly, in fact very loudly. It is this kind of loud speech from those that the society’s own negligence turned into victims that shows that it is they who also have the capacity to be the redeemers of their society. The power of change lies in the ability of such people to defy the silence that is imposed on them and in this show we see how much will is there in such persons to confront their society. If there is a reason for hope for the future it is in this defiance.
Among those who have come forward to speak was a woman who had been forced to undergo abortions of her children 6 times within 8 years. The notion of the sacredness of family that is often boastfully talked about is shattered by the words of such women. She of course is merely one out of thousands of others who go through such situations. Another woman describes how, upon seeing one of her children in her carrier, her mother-in-law kicked the infant down the stairs. The child was only saved because, unbeknownst to the mother-in-law, the child had been strapped to the carrier when her mother was preparing for travel. What that example demonstrates is that such will to kill the female children is a part of a conspiracy of the family rather than an act of a single individual. Yet another woman describes how besides abortions, her face was bitten by her husband, causing severe injury. In all these instances, the women fight back, rebuild their lives and come forward before courts and the media to fight against such evil.
He also interviews doctors as perpetrators of the abortions, which are done systematically in clinics all over India. The interviews also expose the utter inefficacy of the ethical control of the doctors in India. The medical councils should respond to this damning verdict. Also, such information exposes the defects of the legal system of India, which is beset with miserable delays that defeat the purposes of justice.
The program also shows the consequences of the lack of females, one of which is the trafficking and selling of females from poorer states.
The next broadcast, on child sexual abuse, is equally challenging. The information on 53% of Indian children being abused points to a widespread, societal problem. It challenges all the opinion-makers and socially concerned persons in India. Despite of boasts about religiosity, everyone remains silent before such abuse of their own children. This telecast also portrays characters who are defiant and speaking quite loudly, which is a characteristic of this series. The series is worth being watched by audiences the world over. There is a lot that every kind of opinion maker working to make the world a better place could learn from Aamir Khan’s creative defiance.
Here is the kind of human rights activism that is possible in this age through the media.
Picture courtesy: http://www.satyamevjayate.in
—————
About the author: Basil Fernando is a lawyer and human rights activist. He has been formerly the Executive Director of the Asian Human Rights Commission and currently serves as its Director, Policies and Programmes. The author could be contacted at basil.fernando@ahrc.asia
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May 23, 2012 at 2:56 AM
http://sports.yahoo.com/video/player/news/Reuters_Sports_News/29377013#news/Reuters_Sports_News/29377013
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May 23, 2012 at 4:26 AM
Lok Sabha passes child protection bill courtesy Aamir
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Lok-Sabha-passes-child-protection-bill-courtesy-Aamir/articleshow/13405945.cms
Aamir Khan’s show Satyamev Jayate is indeed bringing in a revolution…
Satyamev Jayate’s second episode addressed the issue of child sexual abuse. The show brought forward shocking sexual offenses that adults have been committing on children.
Various victims who faced this ghastly abuse daringly came out of the closet on the show and narrated their horror stories that shocked the country. Never before was the issue discussed in an open forum like it happened on Aamir’s show.
Aamir Khan won the battle as the Lok Sabha passed the child Protection Bill which was pending for long.
Aamir himself spread the word as he blogged, “Great news! The Lok Sabha has passed the ‘Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Bill’ today. Unbelievable! Super News!”
He also thanked the victims who helped him to achieve this. “I want to thank the brave survivors who came on the show today to share their stories. Anamika, Cinderella, Harish, Ganesh, Nazneen and Padma Aunty (Harish’s Mom), you all have done a great service to all of us” said Aamir.
More power to Aamir! Jai Hind, Satyamev Jayate!
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May 23, 2012 at 4:30 AM
Hmmm…so this is a headline for a news item on TOI : “Lok Sabha passes child protection bill courtesy Aamir”
Think I heard a gunshot going off somewhere…hope Oldgold hasn’t gone ahead & done anything drastic !!! 🙂
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May 23, 2012 at 6:12 AM
I have written a comment regarding this above. If true it doesn’t bode well for a democratic country to have their elected government work when a star says. To see people’s fandom taking over their good sense in this shocking aspect leaves me astonished.
But my commonsense tells me that it was already in the process because the Rajya Sabha passing the bill a day after the episode was too soon to be attributed to the show.
But then *fans will believe anything* 😉
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May 23, 2012 at 6:15 AM
It seems Amit would like the credit for himself by tweeting around. I guess he needs this considering what a splash of cold water it was on his ego when he didn’t set the TV viewership on fire with smashing all records.
Now if this was SRK there would have been disparaging comments about getting the press to blow up something not entirely true.
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May 23, 2012 at 6:40 AM
Amit ?? Who is he ?!!!
Think you need a “splash of cold water”….hope your present condition is not the consequence all the articles posted above 🙂 🙂
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May 24, 2012 at 9:13 AM
Saurabh, CHILL (for this you are entitled to a splash of very cold water).
It was a typing error. You see, it’s like this. The ‘R’ key is right next to the ‘T’ key, and sometimes there is a possibility of a neighbouring key get typed.
Now, if you reflect a bit you might recollect having made the same mistake when in a hurry.
I hope my explanation was clearly written, by me, and read and understood by you.
*pheeew* these Amit… ooops.. Amir fans *muttering to myself*
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May 24, 2012 at 9:13 AM
OK, NO!!! It is Shubh!!
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May 24, 2012 at 12:00 PM
haha oldgolf
🙂
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May 24, 2012 at 12:13 PM
hahahaha — oldgolf
oops oldgold
dont laugh slex sdams
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May 24, 2012 at 12:17 PM
hahaha
even that was a typo
“d” is just next to “f”–so sometimes the wrong ‘button’ gets ‘pressed’
isnt it oldgold 😉
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May 24, 2012 at 12:22 PM
and thanx to the alert ponymontana for picking up the typos 🙂
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May 23, 2012 at 7:10 AM
Bill is first drafted, then goes to concerned inter- ministerial group for inputs and modifications and than placed before Cabinet to ratify it and than listed in for parliaments “to do list”..
Its minimum of 6 months to 1 year job for any bill if its not controversial, If so than its goes to ‘ Select Parliament committee’ …..
^^ But then *fans will believe anything* … Agree
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May 23, 2012 at 6:52 AM
” If true it doesn’t bode well for a democratic country to have their elected government work when a star says. ”
There are many things that dont bode well for a democratic country, but you are speaking in a idealistic manner.
On aamir and smj impact: i would like to feel it is just coincidence, but still sometimes it happens that someone says something, audience react and a law is passed. And that also is an essence of democracy that people who watch and pass comment on the show is heard by the Parliament and the elected representatives.
But i can understand your point oldgold, and where you are coming from.
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May 23, 2012 at 7:10 AM
Rooney bhai, btw did u see the champions league finals? sad i missed it
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May 23, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Every search for a hero must begin with something
that every hero requires, a villain.
Therefore, in our search for
a hero, Belairiform (Barcelona, Bayern, Arsenal etc)
we created the monster, Chimera. (Chelsea).
Ps- i respect chelsea and their win, with my hearty congratulations, but to say after spending millions they gave such shit of parking the aeroplane in semi final and final is disrespectful and unworthy of winning, an insult to the great Gianfranco Zola’s Chelsea, and the real chelsea… and to the game… but as i said above there’s a need for villain and thus the game needs chelsea, a team that cannot be supported, though i respect how they laboured, industrial work out and technical know how won them the game, to many saying the great italian side had defense as strong point always forget those italian sides didnt gave their opponents 25 shots on target!
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May 23, 2012 at 10:35 AM
Exactly, ur comment is on the money. Chelsea may not play the most visually attractive football like Barca but they have that never say die attitude- they r like bull fighters- actually there style matches the style of Italy’s football team – they play rough. And i absolutely adore Michael Essien.
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May 23, 2012 at 4:58 AM
@ shubh–the bill was in the process of being passed, I guess. Satyamev Jayate episoe 2 may have helped to speed up the process , perhaps.
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May 23, 2012 at 6:56 AM
agree on your view
But indirectly or directly, this has given a HUGE boost to Aamir’s TV show and Brand Aamir
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May 23, 2012 at 5:01 AM
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/did-satyamev-jayate-influence-the-bill-against-child-sexual-abuse/
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May 23, 2012 at 7:02 AM
fair point
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/satyamev-jayate-a-brilliant-effort-ritesh-sidhwani/
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May 23, 2012 at 1:55 PM
Aamir’s latest tweet has pleased me; I am glad he said something which needs to be said. Anyway, here is Aamir’s latest tweet– My congrats to all the people who’ve been working in the field of childcare. The bill being passed is a result of your hard work. Thank you!
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May 23, 2012 at 1:59 PM
My feeling is that SJ’s episode 2 may have helped hasten a process that was on its way. It had already been passed by Rajya Sabha and needed the LS nod–which would have happened in due course, at its own pace. The satyamev jayate discussion on same issue, it’s wide imapct, the 1 lakh resultant calls to the Childline help desks in various towns (1098, is the number for reporting child abuse, a fact popularized by SJ to good effect)–all this MAY have spurred LS to speeden up the process.
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May 23, 2012 at 2:18 PM
LS-am impressed about your ‘focus’ and single minded selective attention to SMJ
LOL joking–
Btw there’s no doubt that aamir has a certain element of good intention
Rememwber soemone mentioning how aamir belonged to a particular freedom fighters clan-is it true and whose -remind me plz
His ‘reaction’ was either quite skilful or on the other hand showed his good intent..
Ps–LS-hope u read something other than SMJ and give some good book reccos
The last book u told remember forwarding it to a bookworm who lapped it up 🙂
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May 23, 2012 at 7:27 AM
Satyam,
Btw Salman has built up fantastic momentum and I believe he is going to achieve something special at the BO unless the content is rubbish. He’s got Dabang lined up as well for Xmas this year. But I’d love him to do comedy like NoEntry, he was immense in that. But like you said, he seems trapped in this action genre like Sunny was in his last days.
Do you see Salman trying different genres because he is v.good in comedy & action.
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May 23, 2012 at 9:10 AM
All his films are essentially comedies with some action thrown in. And no I don’t see him doing something drastically different because you don’t tinker with the 70-80 crore initial formula!
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May 23, 2012 at 11:43 PM
Hey Alex–I have written yesterday at the Life of Pi thread–not about the book–which I have ( it was a gift for my daughter–and neither she nor I have read it–somehow, haven’t felt the impetus…is it magic realism…of which not a huge fan); but what I’ve written about constitutes part of my reading from past few years. There was this Indian magazine called Gentlemen; I think it took the place of another Indian magazine which died out–Debonair ( a sort of Indian Playboy, started by Vinod Mehta, currently editor Outlook ) . Well, Gentlemen (or Gentleman, maybe ) soon morphed into Mans World–mid-2000 plus. It had some great writing on books and films, besides the usual stuff on men’s fashion, bikes and cars, sex, the lot; a fair bit of intelligent humour. I remember one particular article–written in 2008, perhaps, as a 25th anniv tribute to Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron–may be available in their archives–check it out.
Recently, found in my local Landmark bookstore–The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Have not watched the film yet, since it is yet to release here; wonder if it will. Liked the book a lot.
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May 24, 2012 at 12:03 PM
LS–Yes all those who i know who are ‘can read’ have raved about the ‘the help’
May catch the book/movie…but guess its too ‘heavy’ ? isnt it..
thanx for the info about ‘debonair’ /gentleman…does this still exist in print / online…
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May 23, 2012 at 11:48 PM
@ Alex again–ha ha , you are teasing me about ‘my single-minded devotion to Satyamev Jayate’. The fact is I’m really happy that he has done this tv show. It’s exactly the sort of thing I like–a look at your country warts and all, a rumination, how to change for the better, realize one’s true potential…all that. So my admiration is for the concept, along with the man. Became his fan after Sarfarosh–and have always wished that he would be part of another such film. Well, this show could be the closest he has got to his Sarfarosh persona.
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May 24, 2012 at 12:34 AM
LS – on Sarfarosh – aamir has said more than once that if there is one film he wants to do a sequel – that is Sarfarosh – John Mathew has been asked to come up with a script – but I don’t know what he is smoking all these years???
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May 24, 2012 at 9:10 AM
Would love to see Aamir in a Sarfarosh sequel because there’s a lot of scope there….wouldn’t mind taking Kabir Khan directing Aamir in something with an international feel to it like Kabul Express which I really liked
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May 24, 2012 at 12:04 PM
agree there LS both about aamirs intentions and liked sarfarosh…
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May 24, 2012 at 2:12 AM
‘Satyamev Jayate’ played major role in Child Sex Abuse Bill: Harish
http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/and-more/satyamev-jayate-played-major-role-in-child-sex-abuse-bill-harish_111954.htm
Mumbai: Aamir Khan’s ‘Satyamev Jayate’ has indeed been instrumental in raising awareness among people about the glitches in the Indian society and has subsequently led many duty bound officials taking stringent actions to deal with social malice.
Whether or not ‘Satyamev Jayate’ triggered the passing of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Bill by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday is highly debatable. But it does come as a relief to the thousands of victims of child sex abuse.
One such victim is Harish Iyer, who had made an appearance on the show and spoken about his traumatic childhood in front of live audience.
Iyer took to Twitter to express his excitement. He wrote, “#CHILDSEXUALABUSE bill passed in loksabha. cant contain my emotions(sic).”
Acknowledging the effort of everyone who has been responsible for raising an alarm for the Bill, Iyer wrote, “#CSAbill It is the collective effort of everybody, all media, society, you and me. While @smjindia does play a major role(sic).”
“#CSAbill has been passed and will be a law soon(sic),” he added.
Iyer also shared his take on the Bill with Sanjay Suri and Onir, who had made a film based on his life and wrote, “@sanjaysuri @iamonir THE #CSAbill has been passed. this doesnt mean NO MORE ABHIMANYU`s it def means that abusers would be dealt with(sic).”
“#CSAbill punishes the offender and the just implementation will ensure that the victim is not further victimized(sic),” he tweeted.
However, he does believe that it is up to the people to fight for their rights. He wrote, “I know many bills have been passed. And many laws have been unimplimented. Its upon us now to ensure that the law is implemented. #CSAbill(sic).”
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May 24, 2012 at 3:48 AM
‘Satyameva Jayate’ inspires sarpanch to act against female foeticide
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/Satyameva-Jayate-inspires-sarpanch-to-act-against-female-foeticide/articleshow/13440194.cms
Aamir Khan’s highly acclaimed “Satyameva Jayate” has inspired a sarpanch in a Rajasthan village to register police cases against women and families who go for tests to detect and abort the girl child.
“Illegal sex determination is rampant in the Shekhawati region (Jhunjhunu, Churu and Sikar districts),” sarpanch Randheer Singh of Budania village told IANS.
The village, some 200 km from here, is home to some 5,000 people.
Randheer Singh said a six-member committee had been formed to keep a tab on pregnant women.
“After watching Aamir Khan’s TV show ‘Satyameva Jayate’ on female foeticide, I felt that awareness in Rajasthan is not enough,” he said.
“Checking female foeticide at the village level is necessary to save girl children.”
He said that auxiliary nurses and midwives know about almost every pregnant woman in villages.
“If a woman is found involved in illegal sex determination and abortion of a girl child, an FIR (First Information Report) will be filed against her with the police,” Singh said.
“If she is forced to abort by her in-laws, similar action will be taken against them also,” he said.
According to the 2011 census, Rajasthan has 883 girls in the 0-6 age group for every 1,000 boys. The child sex ratio in 2001 was 909.
The Rajasthan government has taken several measures to end illegal sex determination tests. It has hiked the amount of money given to people who complain about errant ultrasound clinics.
Aamir Khan, in his programme telecast May 6 that drew record audiences countrywide, highlighted a sting operation done seven years ago by two journalists to expose growing female foeticide in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
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May 24, 2012 at 4:41 AM
pity that the impact they’re talking about by now comes across more as a ‘product’ being advertised than anything else
couldnt help smirking at thiis article. !
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May 24, 2012 at 8:41 AM
Very good interview here http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/believe-it-there-was-a-time-when-aamir-khan-didnt-sell-320099.html/2
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May 24, 2012 at 9:29 AM
Thanks PK……engrossing read here
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May 24, 2012 at 9:53 AM
I disagree with some of the stuff he’s saying here. I completely agree that QSQT was an important moment and in many ways the first real sign of a post-Bachchan industry. But the film was also ‘early’ in a sense. which is to say it was still rooted enough to not really be an iconic film for the era that followed. But this ‘historic’ weakness was in a sense the film’s strength. I think it’s aged very well. It is far more fresh today than most of the 90s iconic love stories if not indeed all of them. Not least because it’s a timeless film in many ways and not really completely about one cultural moment. In the post-SRK or post-Yashraj age it’s sometimes hard to understand just how important QSQT was in 1988.
Having said that the media reliably anti-Bachchan as always ran with a David v Goliath message. The film release 2 or 3 months after Shahenshah. It made probably only about 55-60% of the Shahenshah gross which was great as most films with major stars weren’t doing as much and it was of course massive on profitability but it wasn’t in the same league as a grosser by any stretch. Tezaab which released in Nov of that same year actually did gross as much as Shahenshah or slightly more.
In any case the whole idea of taking on the Bachchan might is somewhat silly. It’s not as if other films weren’t hits in the Bachchan years and even with newcomers. In 1981, one of those truly peak Bachchan years, both Love story and Ek Duje Ke Liye had huge grosses and these were really comparable to some major Bachchan ones. 6 out of the top 10 grossers that year were Bachchan films and yet these two films were nonetheless in the mix. ‘Taking on Bachchan’ only means something if you release your film in direct opposition. As late as 1997 Yash Chopra didn’t want to release DTPH with Lal Badshah when for a while there was chance that might happen.
getting back to QSQT an important moment for sure but one that got quickly superseded by the SRK wave as for that matter was Maine Pyar Kiya where both the film and the lead star were even bigger than Aamir and QSQT. The yashraj/SRK wave just created a new metro India-diaspora coalition that made what seemed very fresh in the late 80s (not just with the romances but also other stuff like Tridev or Parinda or Ghayal and so on.. films that seemed to herald the emergence of a new Bollywood) relatively obsolete. And I would argue that this retarded the industry in many ways. In fact this is where Bombay just split off from say Tamil cinema. In the latter you had the diaspora films but you also had an upgrading of more rooted genres/tropes. This is also what happened in Bombay with some of the films I’ve mentioned plus the efforts of a Mukul Anand, and even for that matter Mahesh Bhatt’s more commercial films which were a nice half-way house between his earlier more offbeat films and the total commercialization of most Bollywood fare. But once that coalition fell into place this cinema was blotted out or survived only in mostly B grade form or even when A grade it was a bit too reactionary. So action for a large part of the post-SRK 90s meant Sunny hunting down Pakistani terrorists! Which too served the SRK coalition by the way because his overseas coalition always had a huge Pakistani admixture (I remember a video store owner telling me that he didn’t like Sunny Deol films because those were the only ones no Pakistani wanted to rent!).
In any case a certain healthier process was ‘retarded’ at that point. And I use that word with care. This wasn’t just about changing trends but the fact that industry insiders put in place an economic system that kissed off on a very large part of the market. It became a self-serving cycle. These films did the best but that’s because these were catering to their target demographic and meanwhile there was no opposition possible on the other side. When occasionally there was the Karan Arjun or the Raja Hindustani these films did as well or better than SRK’s best grossers (or almost all of them) but there weren’t the talents making ‘modern’ versions of these films. So this kind of stuff became the exception that proved the rule. It’s true that this was a transitional time anyway, a post-Bachchan order was taking hold, but nonetheless Yashraj/SRK filled that gap. And the ‘proof’ of this thesis that I’ve long held is of course all the masala grossers of recent times. Or masala comedies, call them what you will. Of course it’s now a post-SRK world too but the point is that some of those films achieve much bigger grosses than him (note how he too has had to abandon his iconic cinema to even get to some of his big initials.. with RNBDJ he wasn’t even close) because the pie is once again larger. Still very weighted towards multiplexes (not just major metros.. if you have a multiplex opening up in a B center the gross suddenly shoots up but also distorts the picture) but the genres mean the inclusion of a larger audience.
But also once the industry started emerging out of the Yashraj shadow it made too quick a leap to ‘auteurism’. So with some exaggeration one could say that in Bollywood we have had since either Dibakar Bannerjee or Sajid Khan! There isn’t very often evidence of a healthy bread and butter ‘middle’ here.
I should add a final note on Bachchan here. Despite his tough challenges in the post-Shahenshah years and especially in the 90s, despite the fact that he was for a long time unable to reinvent himself, his cache remained untouched and his initials were still remarkable. One could look at the numbers on BMCM (Govinda wasn’t going to beat the KKHH initial on his own!), or Lal Baadshah over the first few days and so on. The problem was the failure of the system to provide a titan like him real opportunities at that reinvention and he himself couldn’t quite initiate it on his own (this I still place less importance on for some reasons). But in any case the KBC phenomenon or everything that followed wasn’t surprising. Why? Because there was always that ‘demand’ for him in the market, he just hadn’t found the right format.
A last word on QSQT. That entire history and the success Aamir had after this over the years whether it was with Dil (biggest hit of the year in which there were some heavyweights) or RH or Rangeela or whatever, all of this allowed him to be one of the top stars. But he wasn’t central to the iconic cinema of his day. And hence Lagaan was his second beginning, the resetting of the clock.
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May 24, 2012 at 9:11 AM
Think Aamir tried to change the game back in 90’s too but couldnt the way he would have liked to
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May 24, 2012 at 10:23 AM
i don’t think he tried then….he has said in many interviews that he signed films left and right for various reasons….and many bombed…satyam is right in saying that Lagaan was his second beginning…..
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May 24, 2012 at 11:36 AM
He made a very useful point early on about those failures. He said he did many of those films because the scripts seemed right but he realized over time that a good script could be wrecked by a bad director and vice versa. Ironic then than all these years later he’s still much more focused on scripts than anything else. And the difference I suppose is just his greater experience and the sharpness he’s acquired about these things since. And I think he’s right about it in a box office sense. The problem with those early films was often incompetent directors but also the writing was just horrifyingly pedestrian. So even without the director question I just don’t know how he thought those were good scripts. Nonetheless if one has to err one should on the side of the writing. Because a functional director can do enough with a strong script while often even a good director cannot really lift a poor one.
But this is however different from the Abhishek problem (with many of his key films) where I’ve disagreed with all the banal ideas about his not having script-sense and so on. The problem here is ‘auteurism’ for want of a better word. There are certain films that are very interesting but that are never viable in box office terms. It might be stupid in a box office sense to keep doing them but that’s very different from questioning the value of those films. So sure it’s always smart ‘not’ to do a Guru Dutt film. And of course one can never know beforehand whether a film will be valued by ‘posterity’ or not. One can only rely on a director’s general track record but it is precisely the more auteurist director who’s likely to deliver not just a box office failure but one that mystifies its audience.
An important element that is often overlooked here, and this is about star choices in general, that cynical and mercenary as many decisions might be in the film industry with the box office of course being the bottom-line (though no star career is ever about the latter only as a mathematical number) it is the case far more than one might expect that stars also by and large do films that are consonant with their ideological perspectives, conscious or not. Unless of course they’re completely pushed against the wall in which case they’ll do anything. So for example there is ideological continuity throughout Aamir’s career in a loose sense, the same is true for SRK in a different way, and so on. And here it should be added that while it might always seem easy to do what works at the box office not all stars are equally good messengers for every trend. For the obvious reasons (persona, acting abilities, physicality..) but equally so for what I’ve just said. Even with everything else in place you will not be able to sell a message if you don’t really buy into it at some deep inner level. The lack of investment will always come through in the performance. Which is Abhishek looks so ‘bored’ in certain outings. This isn’t only about a commercial/off-divide but about ideological contours that transcend these box office divisions. Abhishek might be as invested in Bol Bachchan as DMD but he might not be so in the same way in Players. Aamir might be invested in Fanaa and TZP but not D3 to the same degree. Actually on this note I am quite interested in how he handles the latter beyond all the physical preparation and so on. Because after a very long time I think he’s taking on something that does not really match his instincts otherwise. I honestly cannot think of the last time when he did this sort of deal. And though I can’t prove it I very much doubt he would ever do this without Abhishek. Just don’t believe another star, big or not, would attract him to this kind of film in the same way (he certainly isn’t doing it to be a super-Hrithik, the D2-like scenario.. interestingly he does talk about the script here.. I’ve believed in any case that this would easily be the best film of the series which is to say that the best for this kind of fluff!). I wish of course that they had appeared together in a more substantive subject. Because we might never have this chance again and as a fan of both I’d like to see it happen. Similarly it’s a pity Bachchan and Aamir was the pairing that never happened.
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May 24, 2012 at 1:00 PM
interesting point of view satyam – esp. last para abt. aamir and abhi – i also doubt – but i don’t think aamir can’t do D3 withoug abhi – he would do it anyway once he has liked the script – apart from many reasons he must be having – one thing is for sure – he has picked up a failed director (Vijay Krishna who delivered a dud) – now here is a very shroud psychology from aamir – take Ashutosh, take john mathew, take farhaan akhtar, take Rakesh Mehra…..and infuse them with so much positive belief in themselves, their product that the entire combination-product-venture becomes a runaway success – without abhi and uday – D3 will work – no doubt about it – but that doesn’t take away anything from abhi – he certainly is now a part of the franchisee and would only add to its success.
Abhishek may not have failed on the script-sense – but he has certainly not tried hard enough for the scripts he has chosen – Drona – now assuming that abhi liked it on the script level – he should have worked very hard on his physique and the overall personality required for the character – but he came across as a dull human being in the final product – which obviously masses don’t accept.
At the same time – I think – refugee is one of the finest films not only done by abhi but overall – this was a good choice to begin his career with – and I have never understood why it failed – maybe an aamir-like marketing genius would have given it its due at the b.o. – but again here abhi can work on his marketing skills – hope he does with Bol Bachchan…and i am sure working with aamir will surely make him learn more intrinsic aspects of the film as a product ….
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May 24, 2012 at 1:10 PM
I don’t think Aamir would do D3 with too many other co-stars. Actually what’s the last film he’s done with any star? I think it was Ishq with Devgan. As I said I can’t prove this but he has a certain relationship with Abhishek that would make him far more likely to do a nothing film with a better script. In other words it’s not as if even the best possible script of this franchise could really rise upto the level of Aamir’s normal standards. Even Fanaa has a lot more of a script and a rooted one at that than the Dhoom series which is simply plastic entertainment. But again it’s not that he’s doing a film because of Abhishek. Just that personal relationships matter all else being equal. Actually the other bit is true also. I doubt very much that Abhishek would have done another part without Aamir. The proof? Despite all the rumors they could never get anything going all these years. I’d even go further and say that precisely because of D2 and the imbalance there only this combo could have launched another franchise. For questions of trust and other reasons. Now depending on how this goes it might be different in the future but I have some sense of how all of this came about.
On Drona yes this was terrible but actually here I’d say that the script was not at all as bad as the awful handling. In fact Rakesh Roshan could have done wonders for this one.
But again Aamir did Mela just before Lagaan. In other words he did those at the very same time! Sometimes the final result makes things look much worse. Abhishek’s problem has been that he’s all over the place (radically different roles, films, high risk and so on..) not that he’s doing bad scripts. Unless one defines a ‘bad script’ purely in box office terms.
On refugee I loved it in the first half but the conformism of the second half made it hard to swallow. Even otherwise things went a bit haywire here with some unnecessary subplots. The film would have been truly extraordinary if it had maintained the first half edge. But Abhishek though he definitely showed flashes at points was simply not a consistent enough performer at that stage. I would have loved to see this film made much later in his career.
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May 24, 2012 at 11:30 AM
Now, SRK admonished for his public smoking by WatchDog. Notice the strong language:
http://www.samachar.com/SRK-trampling-antitobacco-laws-Watchdog-mfymV4iccjj.html
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May 24, 2012 at 12:58 PM
“and thanx to the alert ponymontana for picking up the typos ”
the way you’re going, i wont e surprised if oldgold is devising ways to teach you a ‘lesson’ 😉
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May 24, 2012 at 1:03 PM
hahaha
im always willing to ‘learn lessons’ esp from a good teacher like oldgold
But shes nice n good to me ( and is currently getting ready for one of the roles i offered her in the ‘cocktail spoof’ hahaha
btw summers officially here…
raise your hands folks who are in summer wear…
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