I would like to review the reality talk show, Satyamev Jayate.
The concept of the show, before it was released, was not very well known. No one knew what it was about. Only the fact that the show tackles social issues was known. What I could make out from the promos was that it would be heavily emotionally charged. This made me really wary of watching the show. I expected something totally sensational and fabricated, with a lot of yelling and shouting. To top it all, who watches TV on a Sunday morning? All in all, I had no plans of watching the show.
Still, on Sunday morning at 11, we tuned in.
I was totally taken aback. The show was like nothing I had expected. The first week, the issue of female foeticide was taken up. Aamir Khan, who conducts the talk show is super-sensitive. He did not ask any guest/victim any unnecessary questions that would hurt them. He was gentle throughout, and all his reactions, even his weeping, seemed genuine. He made no accusations, nor pass judgements. He has used the show strictly as a medium to reach out to the masses.
Also, the sheer efforts taken by the team are commendable. The 13 episodes have been created over a period of three years. For example, on last week's episode, a pathetic story about a village in Andhra Pradesh was narrated. I wonder how they found it out, detected the village and brought it in front of the masses. I doubt that the village is even present on a map. They have roped in various people on the show. Right from the victims, to experts in the particular fields, and even people who are finding solutions. This is the part that impresses me the most. Not only does the show analyse the causes and effects of the evils, but it also shows us the solutions. (eg. Using generic medicines in place of regular ones to make health care affordable.) Aamir handles these delicate issues quite sensibly and efficiently. The show is so powerful that I'm sure that victims of social evils get courage from the show. In fact, after the episode on child sexual abuse, I read that one of the guests, who was himself a victim, was bombarded with over 6000 emails. Most were from other victims lauding his courage.
This brought a thought to my mind. TV is a hugely powerful medium. This show has managed to reach out to a vast portion of India's population (the show is broadcasted in several different languages on different channels). So perhaps, if used the right way, can't TV be a stronger medium for reaching out to the people than any other means? Maybe we should use it this way, so that these social issues can be addressed and handles successfully.
So, if you've been as skeptical about the program as I initially was, I suggest you give it a chance. If you don't like it, then fine. Also, if the timings are a problem, there's a repeat at 10 pm on Sundays.
The concept of the show, before it was released, was not very well known. No one knew what it was about. Only the fact that the show tackles social issues was known. What I could make out from the promos was that it would be heavily emotionally charged. This made me really wary of watching the show. I expected something totally sensational and fabricated, with a lot of yelling and shouting. To top it all, who watches TV on a Sunday morning? All in all, I had no plans of watching the show.
Still, on Sunday morning at 11, we tuned in.
I was totally taken aback. The show was like nothing I had expected. The first week, the issue of female foeticide was taken up. Aamir Khan, who conducts the talk show is super-sensitive. He did not ask any guest/victim any unnecessary questions that would hurt them. He was gentle throughout, and all his reactions, even his weeping, seemed genuine. He made no accusations, nor pass judgements. He has used the show strictly as a medium to reach out to the masses.
Also, the sheer efforts taken by the team are commendable. The 13 episodes have been created over a period of three years. For example, on last week's episode, a pathetic story about a village in Andhra Pradesh was narrated. I wonder how they found it out, detected the village and brought it in front of the masses. I doubt that the village is even present on a map. They have roped in various people on the show. Right from the victims, to experts in the particular fields, and even people who are finding solutions. This is the part that impresses me the most. Not only does the show analyse the causes and effects of the evils, but it also shows us the solutions. (eg. Using generic medicines in place of regular ones to make health care affordable.) Aamir handles these delicate issues quite sensibly and efficiently. The show is so powerful that I'm sure that victims of social evils get courage from the show. In fact, after the episode on child sexual abuse, I read that one of the guests, who was himself a victim, was bombarded with over 6000 emails. Most were from other victims lauding his courage.
This brought a thought to my mind. TV is a hugely powerful medium. This show has managed to reach out to a vast portion of India's population (the show is broadcasted in several different languages on different channels). So perhaps, if used the right way, can't TV be a stronger medium for reaching out to the people than any other means? Maybe we should use it this way, so that these social issues can be addressed and handles successfully.
So, if you've been as skeptical about the program as I initially was, I suggest you give it a chance. If you don't like it, then fine. Also, if the timings are a problem, there's a repeat at 10 pm on Sundays.
Very well written.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I have not watched any episode so i cant comment on the content.