Aamir Khan honoured by US for Satyamev Jayate

Aamir says his aim is to sensitise Indians about social issues and help them find solutions. PHOTO: FILE

WASHINGTON: B-town perfectionist Aamir Khan is no doubt an achiever, given he is a three-time National Award winner and was also recently ranked among 100 most influential people in Time magazine. However, apart from being a splendid actor, Aamir is also known for his social activism through advertisements and his popular TV show Satyamev Jayate.

For the latter, Bollywood superstar has been honoured with a prestigious US award in recognition of his successful effort to create debate on India’s pressing social problems through the TV show. The 47-year-old actor was presented with the Inaugural America Abroad Media Award along with Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow and the International Centre on Non-violent Conflict (ICNC) at a ceremony held on Monday night.

Launched in 2012, the Sunday morning show, Satyamev Jayete, tackles some of India’s most pressing social problems – forced abortions of unborn girls, domestic violence, child sexual abuse, alcoholism and treatment of the elderly.

“I had no idea how the work we started back home would somehow interest those outside India,” said Aamir while accepting the award in person – a rare exception to his practice of not attending award shows. “My team and I are trying to do this show out of love because we feel that we are part of the problem and we are also part of the solution; we need to find that. We need to question ourselves and look inside as opposed to pointing outside,” he said after the ceremony.

Aamir, who was accompanied by his filmmaker wife Kiran Rao, said he is working on the next season of the show. “All my capabilities lie in the field of media and storytelling. So we try to combine our expertise and capabilities in storytelling and television and pick on social issues that we feel can make a difference,” he said.

Aamir Khan said, though it is nice to be felicitated here, he is more concerned about the Indian audience. “My main aim is to really work in India. To sensitise people about issues and see that we can find solutions to our own issues back home. I am looking to talking to Indians,” he asserted.

When asked by a Pakistani journalist whether he would work for a Pakistani film, Aamir answered, “I am a creative person. Whenever I receive an offer from any part of the world, which is of interest to me, I would like to do that.”

“The culture of India and Pakistan are the same. Our language is the same. There are a lot of similarities among us. So indeed, if there is any offer of a film from Pakistan, and I like the script, I would certainly like to do that,” he added.