Facetious AD-Critique

Posted on March 26, 2013 by AbhishekAG

When it comes to advertisements, I’m embroiled in a very special love/hate relationship.

I hate TV advertisements because they interrupt my shows, that aside, I love everything else about them!
The weird world of ads never ceases to capture my imagination, from surreal settings, to lame slogans and hook-laced jingles! I’m enamored by the way brands choose their advertisement style and strategy.

However, there are some advertisements in the recent past that have left me unsettled and disgruntled.

Thums up:

Sticking true to their image of making ridiculous over-the-top ads, Thums Up doesn’t offer anything new in this particular TVC. My hopes for this brand were lowered beyond belief during the ‘Don’t be a Bandar, taste the Thunder’ campaign. That being said, I really have no expectations from this brand nor do I hold any grudges. But I absolutely love the product. Thums Up has to be the best soft drink ever!

So it saddens me a little when they make such ads.

Arbaaz Khan as the driver of the truck was irritating, but what ticked me off especially, was the treatment meted out to the general public! The scene where Salman gives a ‘Lift’ to the Thums Up van is so very depressing. When there is a traffic jam with so many people stuck on the road, isn’t it unfair to ‘Lift’ the whole truck and transport it, so that only Salman and his entourage can have a refreshing drink? What about the common man stuck in the traffic jam and sweating it out?
Very depressing.

2. Sony Experia Z:

So have you seen this teaser where Katrina Kaif talks about Sony releasing a new smartphone on March 12^th?

“Meet the phone you have never imagined” is what she says, while giving sneak previews of another generic looking smartphone.

Thanks Katrina. I would’ve preferred to have just imagined it though.

Maybe then, I’d have followed it up, curious to see the phone I could never imagine. What i’m trying to say is that, it would’ve done Sony a world of good if they hadn’t shown glimpses of the new phone.
But alas! Sony has many things to learn to successfully execute a buzz campaign.

3. Cinthol Deodorant:

This whole ad can be quite irritating, if overplayed, however I thoroughly enjoy the background score every time it’s on!

The highlight disappointment for me was ‘Alive is aww-saaam’ with that typical drawl. It’s not just the accent that perturbs me, but also the message, assuming there is one! Alive is awesome, go figure.
Very, very cringe-worthy.

4. Pepsodent Pro Sensitive:

Please accept my apologies as I’m unable to find a link for this Ad, in Hindi, so we will have to make do with Tamil.

Having watched innumerable dental care ads since childhood, I really didn’t pay much attention to this one the first time I saw it. Same old style of showing graphics of a tooth being attacked by germs with the same old toothpaste coming to the tooth’s rescue. However, all the old ads had a separate cut-scene where they would show a professional in a lab/clinic, who would further explain about the product features and benefits.

Not in this one.
“Meera, Lab.” He says! And poof she’s an expert!!

I can’t even begin to explain how silly that looks. So I won’t.

Proactive Mentorship in Management Education

Posted on March 18, 2013 by AbhishekAG

The art of mentorship is yet to be fully tapped into and explored by the present system of management education in India. Post-Graduate programs are the penultimate stepping stones for students entering the ever evolving corporate world. The importance of mentoring at this crucial stage has been downplayed, if not ignored, by the system at large.

After 15+ years of formal education, students are thrown into the workspace to explore and fight their way towards a successful career. At this juncture it becomes imperative to have some sort of guidance from experienced seniors.

Management programs today focus on most aspects of holistic development for students, but proactive mentorship seems to be missing.

What is proactive mentorship?

I consider proactive mentorship as the style of mentoring, wherein the mentor constantly tries to engage the mentees into communicating their goals and desires, to subsequently provide meaningful advice aimed at helping the mentee.

The keywords being: Constantly, Engage and Communication.

As someone who has not yet completed 1 full year of working, I believe I’m still a student at heart. With this knowledge I understand that students as a group are quite a tricky bunch of people. The general method of imparting knowledge (Read: Lecture based classroom learning culminating in a 3 hour exam) has sensitized students and each and every student develops a unique coping mechanism. Some may use cellphones during the class, some might doodle out their elaborate fantasies and some just wait to enjoy their class-nap. The point I’m trying to make is that students can’t be force-fed information. It’s futile to assume that when students reach the level of post graduation they will suddenly change their behavior.

Keeping this in mind, it is of utmost importance for the mentor to constantly try and guide the students. Most mentors have an understanding that students will approach them during crisis’ (Placements, choosing specialization, Internship, etc) and they will help them then. However, this approach is not fail-proof. Some students might not approach anyone just because they have not been doing it since the start.

To avoid this conundrum, a proactive mentor will constantly speak and guide the students from the start. It should be communicated to the students that the mentor is always available and can be reached through email, facebook, sms etc at any time. In an era where boundaries are irrelevant due to the social media boom, mentors must exploit this opportunity to be present for their mentees whenever required.

Another important quality of a proactive mentor is his/her ability to engage with the students. Since their schooling days, students in India are expected to respect their teachers/elders and maintain discipline in their presence. When working in a company, this behavior is translated to include the manager/boss. So, a level of apprehension will always be present with students while interacting with mentors. A proactive mentor has to understand this and constantly engage his students. He can do so with funny stories, incredible insights, personal experience and almost anything which will put the students at ease and make the mentor more approachable.

Finally, a proactive mentor has to learn to effectively communicate with his students. Unless he/she can do this, students will not be able to express their goals/desires clearly enough to enable guiding them. Effective communication is more difficult than it may sound. As most students and mentors have completely different fields of experiences’, the onus is on the mentor to understand what exactly the student is trying to communicate.

Having listed out the prerequisites of proactive mentorship; let me now dwell on some of the benefits:

Students will develop a fair idea of mapping their interests/skills to industry/profile they could start their career with.
Students will be better prepared to deal with the corporate lifestyle and the level of commitment and accountability required.
Proactive mentorship will create an environment of knowledge sharing in the campus.
Attrition rate of companies would come down as students are bound to take better informed decisions.

My condolences to the Ladies…Again.

Posted on December 19, 2012 by AbhishekAG

Delhi.

The country’s capital, known for its rich history and heritage, is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. For the benefit of those who have not yet heard or read about this latest phenomenon, amplified thanks to the power of social media, here is a brief summary of events.

A medical student in her twenties, who was traveling with her male friend in a bus from Munirka to Uttam Nagar area in west Delhi, was gang-raped by a group of men inside the moving bus and thrown off the vehicle near Mahipalpur in south Delhi on the night of 16^th December 2012. I do not wish to dwell on the specifics of the incident or the police investigation thereafter, for the plain reason that you can read it elsewhere. In a country where sensationalism is the bread and butter, so to speak, of the big-wig media houses; it’s not hard to find gory details about this incident. What I find interesting, is the nation’s response to this shameful act. The whole country is up in arms, while calls for protests are flooding websites like Facebook and Twitter.

It does seem like we have had enough.

The amount of dissent has reached such proportions, that our politicians are now compelled to talk about the situation. Now that’s quite an achievement for our society as a whole. The Chief Minister, Home Minister and Police Commissioner to name a few, have faced full-fledged criticism and are now under the gun to initiate some sort of change. In a span of 3 days, since when the incident was reported, the amount of activity on social media websites related to this incident has garnered such tremendous response, that it can’t be ignored any further.

What strikes me as particularly disturbing; is the new-found zeal to debate regarding the best form of punishment for the accused.

Hang them? Parade them in public? Let the victim shoot them? Castrate them? These are some of the suggestions and ideas that I came across, while people were discussing vehemently.

Why is the ‘aam aadmi’ entertaining such macabre thoughts?
The present laws are not harsh enough of course! How can we deter rapists and eve-teasers if our laws are not a reflection of the severity of the crime?

So are we implying that, equating rape with murder will ensure more women do not get raped? Is it a fool-proof method of saving our women-folk? Will fear of prosecution/conviction actually decrease the frequency of these incidents? It seems more like wishful thinking coupled with old-school barbarianism if you ask me.

In a land where the female form has always led a life of duality, one of the pious mother/wife and the other of the evil witch/vixen, it is but evident that the problem is not with the law.
The problem lies way deeper, within the labyrinth of the male psyche. Conflicting ideologies would be my best guess for this sort of sociopathic behaviour. Conflict caused by an existing image of a ‘Mother figure’ who embodies love, trust and purity as opposed to the ‘Modern Temptress’ who is attributed as western above everything. Torn between these images we are witnessing the coming of age of a new breed of men, who are confused and insecure about their feelings towards the fairer sex and thus develop these twisted notions on how to deal with them.

But of course, I’m not a psychologist. And I do not intend to provide a profile of the ‘Indian rape victim’ or the ‘Indian Rapist’.

The one point I’m trying very hard to make is that, people are misguided. Our fears and feelings of angst are misguided.
Sitting on a desk and planning a protest on Facebook for the cruelty faced by women in our country is a fabulous idea. I wish you all good luck with your protests and calls for change.
However, I would not count on them to actually make a change.

On behalf of our society, I offer my condolences to the ladies. Again.

We’re serving Barfi! at the Oscars

Posted on October 1, 2012 by AbhishekAG

Anurag Basu’s Barfi! got the nod to be India’s official entry in this year’s 85^thAnnual Academy Awards. The Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D’Cruz starrer has garnered rave reviews across the country and seems poised to be remembered for years to come. Barfi! Seamlessly brings together heart-wrenching performances by the actors, while set in the breathtaking backdrops of Darjeeling and supported by an elegant yet powerful storyline.

After the initial aplomb, the movie was talked about in all forms of media- including the ever-growing social networks. However once the news of Barfi! going to the Oscars was confirmed, it has been receiving a lot of flak for being ‘unoriginal’ even to the point of calling some sequences plagiarized. Videos comparing sequences of Barfi! to some scenes from Charlie Chaplin movies, as well as other lesser known international movies have started surfacing. These videos have gone viral and a raging debate has ensued regarding the choice of the movie as India’s Oscar nomination.

Well as I have an aversion towards raging debates, let us try nipping this in the bud right here:

Why Barfi?! : Well this is simple enough isn’t it? If public opinion and box office numbers don’t speak volumes, then we have enough critics to back this movie as one of the best ones this year.

How Barfi?! : As per the Oscars committee rules, the 11-member jury comprising of people associated with films, like directors, technicians etc., watch 20 Indian films in different languages. Barfi! didn’t get all 11 votes, but it was chosen by the majority. It was subsequently learnt that Kahaani, Heroine and Gangs Of Wasseypur were other contenders from the Hindi section of movies. Yes, I was equally surprised to see Heroine in that list!

Who before Barfi?! : It’s interesting to note that of the last 45 movies which were sent to the Oscars by India, only 3 managed to get nominated for the Academy Award Best foreign language film category. Lagaan being the latest after Mother India and Salaam Bombay!

The Academy Award is an award bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors and writers.

Yes, it’s American. So why are we lining up our movies, short-listing them and picking a winner to send to the Oscars? The media of course! For the coveted Best Foreign Language Film award as well as a chance to showcase our movie industry along with the rest of the world.

Why not Barfi?! : In one word? Unoriginal. Not a unique work of art.

Well this seems like a weak reason to slam this movie. Though there are striking similarities in Ranbir’s demeanor in some of the action sequences to that of Charlie Chaplin’s, it’s a far cry from being copied. It is evident that Barfi! is inspired by some of Charlie Chaplin’s works, but that’s all there is to it. Anurag Basu’s masterpiece can’t be tainted by offering minutes of video footage from older movies wherein some scenes may look similar!

Barfi! & Controversy: How can we send a plagiarized movie to the Oscars?!

Well you didn’t seem to notice that the first time you saw the movie did you?

Only after talks about Barfi! being unoriginal started appearing online along with the viral video comparing scenes from the movie, did people start discussing heavily regarding this subject. Every movie can seem like it’s been plagiarized if you spend enough time researching it! The bottom line is that for a movie, which breaks the traditional song and dance routines of Hindi movies and attempts to tell a tale in a different way, Barfi! deserves way more credit than what has been given to it.

As the process of selecting a movie and sending it to the Academy is based on a vote (Just like our esteemed and beloved political system), the results are never quite satisfactory.

That should not be a major concern. The industry maturing to a point where we get to see movies such as Barfi! is reason enough for celebrations!

Personally I’d have preferred to see Gangs of Wasseypur 1 & 2 sent as a package deal to shock and awe the Academy, but that’s just me.

Independence Day #66- Start your fight

Posted on August 14, 2012 by AbhishekAG

So year after year the whole nation gets together to commemorate India’s independence from the British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation. The beloved tricoloured flag adorns every nook and corner of the country. As a community that loves to celebrate, we take full advantage of this national holiday as well. I can already foresee a barrage of sms’ and every social networking site flooded with patriotic messages. From songs about our country’s greatness to movies portraying the heroics of our soldiers, Independence Day truly captures the whole country’s imagination.

For one day.

Even though this is the 66^th time we are celebrating our independence, we seem as confused about it as the first time. We embrace the diversity that exists amongst us, while glorifying everything Indian and basking in our pride of being part of such a great nation. We forward messages and wish each other a ‘Happy Independence Day’ while remembering our past struggles and how we overcame them.

But, the very next day we go back to living our lives.

Freedom is an elusive term:

The state of being free or at liberty rather than inconfinement or under physical restraint.
Exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
The power to determine action without restraint.
Political or national independence.
Personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery.

Of course we are celebrating political and national independence, but are the other interpretations of freedom impossible for us to achieve?

How free are we?

Are we really exempted from external control, interference, regulation?

Can we actually determine actions without restraint?

Finally, is every individual of our country liberated from bondage or slavery?

I don’t think so.

I don’t have a solution, or a practical approach to deal with any of these issues (if we can call them that).

However I do believe that on this day, when we remember history and all that our forefathers stood for, we should realize that some things are worth fighting for. And fight we must.

Let this day be a reminder to constantly struggle against any form of oppression. Our freedom struggle was characterized by the absence of violence and that is a great distinction to have, but it’s imperative that we embody the soul of freedom and fight for our rights. I do not want to highlight a particular cause that needs attention and help. I implore you to look around and inwards and find that cause.

And start your fight.

My condolences to the Ladies

Posted on July 19, 2012 by AbhishekAG

Guwahati.

A city formerly known as the “City of eastern light” and commonly referred to as the “Gateway” to the north east region of India has been in the spotlight recently due to an infamous incident. I don’t want to dwell on the details of this incident and the video which went viral, simply because enough has been spoken about it, and enough opinions have been formed already.

However I do want to dwell on a slightly sensitive topic which has been racing in my mind for quite some time now, even before the Guwahati-molestation case became a subject of national concern.

I want to talk about the conflict between two very distinct, yet heavily supported, points of view regarding the subject of a woman’s modesty being outraged. The opposing points of view being that “Women should know better i.e. they should dress carefully and be mindful of their surroundings” Vs “Rapists are the ones to be blamed”.

“Women should know better”

Well, this does seem like an archaic line of thinking and I can sense the blood of feminists across the board boiling with dissent. However I intend to provide a rationale for this line of thinking, only because it does exist. The rationale being that; we know there are men out there, who are capable of such dastardly acts, committing this crime day in and day out without signs of stopping anytime soon. The only course of action left for women to take, is to be scared and careful. It’s a sorry state of affairs to be in, but wouldn’t everyone rather be careful and avoid such incidents from happening to them? This thought first came across my mind a few years back, when one of my female friends voiced her concern about molestations and how it can be dealt with. The adage ‘Prevention is better than cure’ seemed befitting and that’s what I told her. I don’t want to entertain thoughts of equality of sexes and how even men can be victims, frankly because I do not hear or read of many men being molested or raped in India, and not liking it.

2. “Rapists are the ones to be blamed”

This line of thinking does not need much elaboration or discussion but I will give it the due attention. Simply speaking the blame lies only on the offender and it should in no way be shifted to the victim. Let her be dressed provocatively or highly inebriated, it does not give any person the right to abuse her or take advantage of her. When men can walk around anywhere anytime of the day, dressed however they please, why should women be singled out for their choice of clothes or the places where they choose to be? However such double-standards don’t just exist in our country, but are prevalent to an extent that we can’t imagine. All these double standards have come into existence only because women are subject to more sexual offences than men. Period.

I do not intend to compare and say that one of the above approaches is better than the other, or that one is right and another is wrong. Good or bad are words of subjectivity and i’ll let them stay that way. I only intend to lay down the consequences, because they are concrete. The 1^st approach, no matter how narrow-minded it may seem, will lead to a future where women are constantly judged for their outlook as well as behavior. The 2^nd approach does aim to free the victim of any responsibility for the crime, but does it cleanse the trauma faced by her?

Truth be told, sexual deviants are criminals just like thieves and arsonists. The degree of their crime varies from groping to rape and assault. What amazes me is that when such an incident unfolds in full public view, how does the culprit manage to escape? Would the same happen if someone tried robbing someone in broad daylight? Wait a minute, yes it probably would!

As a society we are a group which just loves to look and ogle. Starting from drunken brawls, to petty thievery, people choose to distance themselves from an incident unfolding in public. We pass the buck, and we do it with panache. “The police are responsible for safety, why should I run behind a thief or molester?” Of course there are a few who would act in such a situation, but these few include the offenders in such incidents as well. So that makes for a really small group of people who would, without any self interest, act and help someone who is in trouble.

If being idle in such situations is not enough, we have another way to deal with such issues. We talk. We talk and talk and talk about what we think is right and how things should be done. Dissonance is a funny thing to have. The only way to rid oneself of it is by giving suitable explanations and achieving some sort of closure. We do this by talking. What we ideally do, is discuss a topic to such an extent that all the possible arguments are exhausted and after gaining that closure we move on. Carry on with our daily lives, hoping we would never be subjected to such torment.

Though this seems like a rather bleak outlook, it is the truth.

As a group of individuals, we do not act, instead we watch and we talk. (Check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect if you don’t believe me)

I would love to be proved wrong.

I’d love to read about how a crime, on an innocent girl was stopped by a group of onlookers. I doubt that would happen anytime soon though.

On behalf of our society, I offer my condolences to the ladies.

5ForFb

Posted on June 28, 2012 by AbhishekAG

This post is just a tongue-in-cheek outlook on the most happening Social Networking Portal- Facebook.

After a disheartening IPO the mania that used to be Facebook, is diminishing every succeeding day. Maybe people are just getting bored of Facebook, or maybe this is just another phase in the effervescent life-cycle of Facebook. Only time (and Mark Zuckerberg perhaps) can tell how the growth of this portal will affect our lives and how we connect with people.

Facebook is not without its flaws however, here are a few that irked me and I personally found bothersome.

1. “Dislike” is a heavily demanded for button.

Think about it.

X- I’m so happy with my life, my car, my wife, my bottle… and here are the pictures for you to see and like!!

Y- Dislike.

People are really craving for this button to materialize on Facebook. Everybody wants to share their discontent/displeasure regarding topics that crop up on their network. No need to give a lengthy comment to defend one’s stance on a topic, a simple click on the ‘Dislike’ button will do the trick.

If I was motivated enough I would have made an online petition, pleading people to like & share for the “Cause of the ‘Dislike’ button”. And include a false promise like “If 10000 people share this post, Facebook will incorporate the ‘Dislike’ button!” but, obviously, I’m not motivated enough.

2. “Comment” is an overrated button.

My parents always advised me against commenting on other people’s affairs. It’s intrusive to say the least.

My parents are terribly old-fashioned though and have no idea about how Facebook has changed the definition of the word ‘Comment’. It is however very interesting to notice how Facebook, through its many changes to the interface is encouraging comments. If you scroll down through your news feed, you will notice your display picture at the end of every post along with the caption ‘Write a comment…’.

The step of clicking on the ‘Comment’ button has been eliminated, thus enticing (the laziest) users to share their opinions regarding posts.

3. “Disable Comments” would be a lovely option to have.

Youtube has it. So why not?!

It’s a crude form of imposed censorship, but it does give people more control over their content and how they would like to share it. And let’s face it, this will help reducing the immense amount of spam that is being generated these days only through comments.

4. “Home” tab is inappropriate nomenclature.

Do I need to elaborate?

‘Home?’ In which twisted way? Agreed that every website has a ‘Home’ page and that it is important for the identity of the brand, but does Facebook need to call it ‘Home’?! Why can’t it just be called the ‘News Feed from Friends’ or ‘News’ if length is the issue! They say “Home is where the heart is”, well I sure don’t want my heart to be in my Facebook Home page, or anywhere else except for my chest cavity.

Isn’t the concept of home dedicated to a close nurturing group of people (Family) who help each other live & survive? ‘Home’ on Facebook, is slightly less pious than that.

5. “See Friendship”

Disbelief was what I felt the first time I chanced upon this tab.

Horror was the succeeding emotion, as I visualized a time in the near future, where everyone is connected and life is lived through the internet.

No more going out in public, no more chatting over a cup of coffee.

Every person’s whims and fancies will be catered to, online.

Every product as well as service, will be available online and tailor-made for each end user.

Isn’t this the web-based utopia we are heading towards as a community? To try and establish a perfect market on the internet? Well what happens to the human connection in this future?? Will all our conversations be online??

“See Friendship” would be a really useful button at that point of time.

True opinion leaders

Posted on June 4, 2012 by AbhishekAG

Traditionally the opinion leader has been the agent who is an active media user and who interprets the meaning of media messages or content for lower-end media users. The opinion leader is held in high esteem by those who accept his or her opinions. Marketers have used this concept to reach people who have the ability to influence a number of followers regarding a certain product or product benefit. Advertisements and promotions are aimed at these opinion/thought leaders, so as to encourage them to interpret and disseminate the message communicated by the company to their respective primary network.

However the changing mediascape necessitates a new point of view regarding these opinion leaders. With social media becoming a force to reckon with, companies have realized that the traditional form of reaching these opinion leaders is now almost obsolete. The process of capturing the ‘pulse’ of the target audience and then tailoring a message which suits the needs of this segment is fast losing its sheen. Consumers now are more equipped to find unbiased information regarding a certain product on the web.

The filtering of such information as valid/relevant is done, based on the credibility of the source of the information. This creates a whole new scenario wherein marketers must diligently scout for such sources and then try associating with them. This is not an easy task as these opinion leaders are under constant scrutiny by their primary network of followers. A credible source of information may cease to be credible, when linked with advertisements. As these users are trying to expand their networks and consistently deliver value to their subscribers, the end result is a favourable one. More users are entering the digital space every day trying to please the segment they cater to. As these users are judged by their primary network they have to keep in mind the effects of an advertisement appearing on their page. All this is leading to an environment with innumerable options and unbiased information.

This creates added pressure on the marketer to be both honest and sincere in his/her communication. Companies can no longer bombard the media with redundant messages hoping for someone to pick them up along the way. Advertising and public relations used to be completely independent aspects of a firm’s communication strategy, however the line between these two are now blurring. The need of the hour is to have a synchronous message across all media platforms and engage with consumers in a manner which they will not find offensive.

With such an environment in place we can now notice the emergence of true opinion leaders. Social media networks are filled with users who are trying new and different methods to increase their visibility and reach. These users are constantly at war with each other to garner more views/likes/shares on their content. As advertisers seek out such users with a huge base of readers/friends, more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon to emerge as the opinion leader for his/her online community. The rewards for being an opinion leader are not purely monetary mind you. Fame and respect from peers is another vital motivating factor. Everyone strives to be more popular or distinct and with the platform of social media networks this ‘dream of fame’ can be easily fulfilled.

The emerging opinion leaders are truly respected within their community due to the content they share.

However they are entrusted to be believable sources and their credibility is their only strength.

A different take on this subject:

Can u picture the government in the near future?

The manifesto of political candidates will be displayed on their online profile so that every citizen can scrutinize and suggest improvements.
Each decision will be taken after extensive polls held online, so that every citizen’s opinion is heard if not considered.
Failure to fulfill on deliverables will lead to a barrage of criticisms online and quick removal of the elected representatives.
Elections will be held online, with the winner being the person or party who gets most ‘Likes’ on Facebook/ most ‘Followers’ on twitter- A true Opinion Leader.

The aforementioned outlook does seem truly futuristic, but is it improbable?

Social responsibility is a trending topic!!

Posted on May 16, 2012 by AbhishekAG

There seems to be a wave that is rising close to the shores. The new show Satyamev Jayate by Aamir Khan has managed to enthrall and capture the whole country’s imagination.

The show was launched two weeks back, with heavy promotion starting almost a month before the show’s launch. The media team for the show has left no stone unturned to promote and actively engage every viewer in the country. The show is aired every Sunday morning at 11:00 AM ensuring full viewership in each household. Though big shows have generally opted for the prime-time slot (8:00 PM- 10:00 PM) Aamir Khan’s production has broken this rule to reach out to every family on a relaxed Sunday morning, thus utilizing the Sabbath effectively. The show is also available on Youtube and there are pages dedicated to the show in major social media networks. Aamir Khan, who is known to be a selective artist in terms of the number of movie projects he undertakes, added a lot of value to the promotions of the show as the mass considers him to be a niche actor.

The buzz that was created during the promotions culminated into a nation-wide phenomenon when the first episode of the show was aired. The premise of which being a talk show where the host ( Aamir Khan) interviews victims and showcases their story for the whole country to watch. The topics covered by the show are sensitive to say the least. Starting from female foeticide in the first episode and child sexual abuse in the second, it is evident that the show-makers are going to ruffle many a feathers. The show mainly talks about how such important topics are rarely discussed in our country and how these issues need to be resolved. Aamir reiterates throughout the duration of the show, that he doesn’t mean to point fingers or blame anyone but only to bring these subjects to light. The guests in the show range from victims of such atrocities and their families, to doctors and experts in certain fields. Filmed before a live audience the show seems to be a befitting reply to the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres.

The interesting part of the show however, is Aamir Khan donning the cap of a social activist, who has had enough of his countrymen turning a blind eye towards such major issues. The two episodes that have been aired till now have ended with an appeal to viewers to send in their support to such causes, which would be carried forth by Aamir himself in order to bring justice to the victims.

Bollywood and television in India has always been about entertainment through masala and very few have dared to break this mould and succeeded. Our most popular movies and TV Shows are either, family-oriented dramas meant for the seniors or sensational masala-filled adventures for the youth. A show like Satyamev Jayate which is intent on being a social documentary is a refreshing change. It’s not a completely new idea mind you, ask Menaka Gandhi or the creators of the “Jaago India” and similar campaigns and you will find that such themes have been tried before. It was however never tried with a star like Aamir Khan who could capture the pulse of the nation in a way never imagined before.

The popularity of the show will dictate how our generation will view things henceforth, and this is the most interesting aspect about this show becoming a sensation. A famous actor who could’ve charged the same amount and signed another movie contract has chosen instead, to educate the public about society and how we are both responsible and accountable to the people around us. This is a milestone in the Indian entertainment scenario as this puts pressure on other networks, stars as well as the general public to act on such atrocities and stop them. Aamir Khan might be just another actor, who after collecting so many laurels decided to give something back to the country, but this show has changed the landscape for everyone in a way that we could’ve never foreseen.

Social responsibility is being made a trending topic by Aamir Khan!

Not another fashion fad, not a lifestyle of partying, not Rakhi Sawant or Poonam Pandey and their incessant whims, but a subject that is both serious and utterly important for a country which houses almost 18% of the world’s population. The aftermath of such a subject trending would involve other stars, media houses as well as MNC’s taking up such initiatives to please the public, or so one would hope.

A future where every manufacturer as well as consumer strives to take care of the environment and society as a whole, seems utopian to say the least but Satyamev Jayate seems to have already paved a way for this to materialize.

IBS India Blog

Author Archives: AbhishekAG