What went wrong with Satyamev Jayate's third episode?

May 23, 2012

aamirkhan-may23

Ever since Satyamev Jayate premiered on national television on May 6, it has received tremendous appreciation from politicians, celebrities and society alike. But as the show is progressing, the interest in the social issues covered is slowly taking a downward spiral. The host Aamir Khan’s dialogue too seem scripted.


Take, for instance, the first episode which covered the despicable reality of female foeticide in India, throwing light on how female foeticide prevails not just in rural areas, but in urban cities as well. While Aamir Khan pondered over this gender bias, the nation remained glued to their televisions in agreement, anger and silent knowledge of the depths at which this phenomenon has seeped into Indian culture.


It made people question themselves about the world they live in and whether education is the only key to deal with this issue. Aamir Khan’s occasional breakdowns were a heart-rending prelude to the next episodes in store for the nation.

The second episode’s emphasis on child sex abuse showcased some tear-jerking moments among the audience and the host. Cinderella Prakash’s horrific nightmare of assault which haunted her for several years, and Harish Iyer’s journey of repeated molestation for almost a decade, finally resulting in the power to say ‘NO’, once again alerted society on the harsh realities which children have faced and continue to face, serving as a reality-check for several others who were completely unaware of how prevalent this issue is.


The anguish of their parents who now wish they could turn back time and erase the painful memories was a warning signal to parents in the country, who now understand how important communication, education and awareness is for their children. Well received once again.


Episode 3 however failed to instill the same sense of anger and rage in the minds of the viewers, despite several hearts bleeding for the victims of dowry torture and suicide. Take Paramjeet Kaur’s marriage which ended in betrayal, of a husband who amassed lakhs of rupees from her family to settle in Australia and abandoned her, who was left with no choice but to return to her family upon being tortured by her in-laws in Jalandhar. Delhi girl Komal Sethi’s parents spent almost sixty lakhs on her wedding, only resulting in having to adjust to an abusive husband who forced her into starvation and despair, and Madurai-based lecturer Nishana’s suicide, who crumbled under the pressure for dowry demands in the hands of her husband and in-laws.


Then the somewhat ridiculous case, received quite ludicrously by the audience, of Santosh Kumar’s ‘pakadwa byaah’, where he was forced to get married in the quest of escaping the payment of dowry. Worth a mention is the Madhya Pradesh-based ‘Tanzeem Khuddam E Millat’ which abandons weddings in the community which do not adhere to the regulation of keeping weddings a low-cost affair to avoid burdening the girl’s family. And finally, Rani Tripathi’s brave sting operation which exposed the greedy demands of her fiancé and his family, which resulted in several proposals and a happily ever after with someone else.


But what was so disappointing about the episode this time? Was it the attitude of the parents of these victims, and many others in the country, who have mentally conditioned themselves to save every rupee for the assumed gift-giving under the veil of dowry, or the sheer desire to spend beyond their means to make their daughter’s wedding a festive occasion? In retrospect, these parents, no matter how well-educated, were the same people who urged their daughters to adjust to their news homes while their daughters continues to face atrocities and struggle each day. This brings to sight that even education has not been enough to prevent these atrocities.


Many questions arise here. Why does child sex abuse and female foeticide appall parents and the society so much when there are many other burning issues which deserve equal attention, like dowry demands? Why does the unceasing existence of dowry not evoke the same emotion? Did this subject truly bring forth the reality of this social issue? Aamir Khan breaking into tears as the women shared their grief, now seems to be following a definitive script, where his reactions are almost predictable. As the show is progressing, the interest it is evoking among the audience is slowly dipping.


Social issues witnessed not just in mere fragments of society, but society in general, is what everyone needs to be alerted about. A show which began with the promise of spreading awareness is slowly becoming just another show which came with a bang, with an impact which is slowly dying out.



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News Network
May 29,2020

New Delhi, May 29: Actor Pooja Hegde revealed that her Instagram account was hacked after unflattering memes about her colleague Samantha Ruth Prabhu were shared.

Samantha's angry fans are not buying her explanation and it has prompted a Twitter trend #PoojaMustApologizeSamantha.

On Monday night, Pooja put out a tweet that her Instagram had been hacked and was in the process of being retrieved. She urged her fans to not accept any invitations or pass out any personal information to the person asking.

She wrote, "Hi guys, so I've been informed by my team that my insta account has been hacked and my digital team is helping me with it. Please do not accept any invitations or pass out any personal information out to the person asking. Thank you."

An hour later, which she spent "stressing," the 'Mohenjodaro' star tweeted again to say the account was restored and that all activity in the while it had been hacked would be undone.

"Spent the last hour stressing about the safety of my Instagram account. Thanking my technical team for instant help at this hour. Finally, got my hands back on my Instagram Any message, follow back or post in d past hour from my account has been done will be undone. Ty," tweeted Hegde.

The 29-year-old actor announced that her feed has been cleaned up now. Her most recent Instagram post is now one on pet food that she posted three days ago.

In Pooja's tweets, there is no mention of Samantha.

According to the screenshots that are being circulated over social media, a meme of Samantha was posted from Pooja's account. It read, "I don't find her pretty at all."

This tweet has triggered Samantha's fans who have not been pacified by her explanation and are demanding that Pooja apologise, meanwhile Pooja's fans say she has nothing to apologise for.

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News Network
February 27,2020

Mumbai, Feb 27: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Wednesday said it's with constant education that a country, a family can move forward as there is never an end to learning.

In December last year, when the actor visited the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, the La Trobe University announced the 'Shah Rukh Khan La Trobe University PhD Scholarship'. At the event to announce therecipient of the scholarship here on Wednesday, Shah Rukh said it was his honour to lend his name or be attached to the scholarship.

"I am a big believer in education. I truly believe that the way forward for any country, any family, city, state is by educating itself more and more.

"There is never an end to education. I've come to realise the more I know, I figure out, the less I understand. It's very important to keep educating ourselves for the rest of our lives.

"I've always believed education in India and elsewhere in the world, is the most important step forward for any nation," he said.

The scholarship aims to provides an opportunity for an aspiring female researcher from India to undertake research.

The 54-year-old superstar said what also will help taking the world move ahead is educating women.

"Related to the fact, is of course, education of women, empowering women, to look after themselves to look after their families...

"If you are able to empower them with education, the world goes even further forward," the actor added.

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Agencies
July 19,2020

Mumbai, Jul 19: Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against two Instagram account holders for allegedly threatening actor Rhea Chakraborty, an official said on Sunday.

The location of the two accused is yet to be traced, the official said, adding that the investigation in the case is at primary stage.

Chakraborty on Thursday requested the cyber crime cell to look into the rape and murder threats she has been receiving ever since the death of close friend, actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Rajput, 34, was found dead in his apartment in suburban Bandra here on June 14, leaving people in the film industry and audiences shocked.

Chakraborty, in particular, was subjected to online hate with users blaming her for Rajput's suicide.

"We registered the First Information Report (FIR) on Saturday under Indian Penal Code Sections 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication), 509 (intending to insult modesty of any woman) and relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act," Santacruz police station's senior inspector Shriram Koregaonkar said.

"No arrest has been made so far. We are conducting an investigation in the case," he added.

On Thursday, sharing a screenshot of a hate message she received on Instagram, Chakraborty said while she had ignored many abusive texts sent to her in the past month, the harassment was now unbearable.

The 28-year-old actor eventually disabled the comments section of her Instagram page.

Chakraborty, known for films such as "Mere Dad Ki Maruti" and "Jalebi", had tagged the cyber cell and requested the authorities to look into the threats.

On June 18, she was called to the Bandra police station to record her statement in connection with Rajput's death.

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