Maryam Farooqui Moneycontrol News
At a time when more and more films are exploring socially relevant subjects, television is also contributing to bringing about a social change. It is not just soap operas or reality shows that television has to offer, there’s more to it.
When Aamir Khan had announced his small screen debut in 2012, viewers did not have the slightest hint of what the show will be about. Satyamev Jayate, which first aired on TV on May 6, 2012, touched upon India’s most sensitive social issues – female foeticide, child sexual and drug abuse, medical malpractices, domestic violence, alcohol addiction, rape, caste and untouchability, et al.
The viewership of the show, despite the gravity of its content, was noteworthy. Families, in cities, towns as well as villages, sat together and watched as the country’s underbelly was being exposed. It is one of India’s highest-rated shows that garnered 1.2 billion impressions on the web. In the third season, Satyamev Jayate had a viewership of 4.9 million.
Another show that not only entertains, but also educates its viewers, Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon talks about quality healthcare for people in villages. With an undertone of women empowerment lacing the show's narrative, it talks about the adverse impact of social hierarchy on the mental and physical health of girls and young women.
“Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon is a social and behaviour change communication initiative to challenge deep-seated social prejudices and regressive norms that influence women’s status in society and impact the health and well-being of families. The story of young girls and women, whose life choices are not in their hands, was presented to show why social change is important, and not just for women, but also men,” said Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director, Population Foundation Of India (PFI). PFI is also the producer of the show.
In the opening season, issues of child marriage, sex selection, prenatal care and family planning were covered. Season 2 brought in a sharp focus on the health of adolescents, which are recognised as a priority group with distinct needs. In its third leg, the show will widen its message to portray communities adopting sanitation and hygiene practices as means to better physical and reproductive health.
“The subject matter of the series has evolved with the changing needs of our country, especially with an increasing focus on the youth,” added Muttreja.
While Indian television is driving social change, it is in need of more socially relevant shows.
“I consider the stories of change of our ‘real’ heroes as the real measure of the success of our programme, as well as proof that India is in need of more socially relevant shows,” said Muttreja.
"A girl from Nayagaon village in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district could convince her parents to send her to college and not marry her off after school; a young woman in Bihar has become a champion for birth spacing in her community; men from a village in Madhya Pradesh have transformed from wife-beaters with regressive social beliefs into champions of male participation in family planning. These and many more such stories strengthen our belief that the programme finds deep resonance with those who are underserved, and who need powerful stories to emerge as change-agents," she added.
“What excites me about television is its power and reach, its enormous potential to connect with people,” Aamir Khan had said when he was hosting Satyamev Jayate.
Although saas-bahu and crime shows dominate the space, there is no denying that informative shows have an audience as well. Both Satyamev Jayate and Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon have been widely accepted by the viewers.
“They are the need of the hour. Entertainment to educate is an ideal way to catch the attention of viewers and there is substantial evidence around the world,” said Meinal Vaishnav, lead actress of Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon.
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