Actor Aamir Khan has lodged a police complaint stating that a smear campaign is being run on the social networking sites Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp to malign him and his show ‘Satyamev Jayate’. Has he done the right thing by approaching the cops? dna finds out...
‘Satyamev Jayate’ is all about manipulation and fake tears
Actor Aamir Khan has approached the Mumbai police complaining about some malicious propaganda against him. This is least expected of a person, who stereotypes and paints a large section of Indian men as evil on his show ‘Satyamev Jayate’. The title of his programme should be changed to ‘ Ardh-Satyamev Jayate’ , as it is all about manipulation and fake tears. The actor is doing business around truth while manipulating data, figures, statistics and telling half truths. Watching such a TV programme actually distorts one’s perceptions, when it is sold to the audience claiming it to be true. Aamir is just propagating popular stereotypes in very complex social issues and is shedding crocodile tears. The end result is creating pressure on the government and parliament to enact laws. It is very strange that a man, who maligned the whole male gender in one of his shows, is now complaining of someone else maligning him.
— Rajesh Vakharia, president, Save Indian Family Foundation (Central India)
People who want to malign Aamir’s show are jealous of him
A lot of hard work, research and impeccable planning go into cross-checking the facts and figures that are disclosed in the programme. I have been part of one of its episodes. Aamir and his team members gather all the details of each and every topic that is aired on the show. People who want to tarnish the image of the actor and his show are jealous and would bad mouth any good work. If people actually bother to check the authenticity of the source from where all these bad things are spread, they will know that these are all rumours. It was also argued that Aamir was charging Rs 3 crore per show. Now how can that be an argument, what is wrong with someone getting paid for work. Members of Parliament are also paid salary. It is very unfortunate that some vested interests are tarnishing his image and show, which is absolutely wrong. Aamir is right in approaching the police.
— Dr Bhooshan Shukhla, Psychiatrist
Given his clean reputation, the actor should remain unfazed
I have not been tuned into this season’s shows as much. However, the last season had very high viewership pan-India since it pulled out some gems of joyful stories from the real lives of the ‘ aam aadmi’ who overcame every odd they faced and rose beyond themselves to live the life they so wanted to. This came as a breath of fresh air to viewers. The current alleged smear campaign could be out of sheer envy for the show’s popularity; something Bollywood is quite well-known for. Social media is a public domain and has the protection of freedom of speech under our Constitution. But so long as remarks made on it are not personal, vulgar or slanderous in nature nor have the potential to ignite social unrest or fuel societal disorder, each one has the freedom to express his/her opinion on it. The cyber laws permit it. The police are verifying this angle. Lastly, what an individual does with his/her money -- in this case profit generated from SMJ episodes -- is individual business and no one needs to advice the other what ought to be done with it, even if the spender uses it in promoting a particular faith or religion because the Constitution fully permits it. To my mind Aamir Khan, given his clean reputation, should give out a strong rebuttal on his vast social media network and remain unfazed about the rest of it.
—Girish Deshpande, citizen activist
Aamir is a mega star and whatever he does has a positive backing
I am absolutely in support of Aamir Khan and his shows. ‘ Satyamev Jayate’ is full of hope and solutions. He is using his stardom in the best possible way and people should realise this, instead of tarnishing his image. I remember his interview after the release of ‘3 Idiots’. When asked what message he intends to send across the masses, he replied: ‘The moment I signed the film with Raju Hirani, the social message reached the audience. Everyone knows that Hirani makes films with a message, so my sign sent out the first wave of the message.” Aamir is a mega star with a huge fan following and what he does definitely has a positive backing.
—Pushkar Jog, actor
He is tackling issues head on and doing something fruitful
I feel as a celebrity everything you do is always under a microscopic view. So, you are bound to have brickbats and bouquets through your journey. As an actor, I have always liked him and the fact that he is doing something different and taking up issues despite knowing that he will receive flak is commendable. When the human sentiment is involved, matters have to be handled with a lot of care and he is doing a good job. He is tackling issues head on. I do not support the people who are against him as he has taken a bold stand and doing something fruitful to society.
—Amrita Thapar, former miss India and fashion brand developer
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