A recently released documentary by Al Jazeera has actor Aamir Khan and his family opening up about the threats he received for hosting the popular show Satyamev Jayate, which he also conceptualised and produced. Aamir also talks about how emotionally traumatic the show was for him.
Titled Aamir Khan: The Snake Charmer - the 47-minute documentary seems to have been shot over 4 years, starting with Aamir talking about the impact of his show Satyamev Jayate and then moving on to the actor on the sets of Dangal, talking about why he wanted to make a film on the Phogat sisters.
Aamir Khan and Family On Facing the Heat for Satyamev Jayate
“There was an entire machinery working in the digital domain to defame us. There were photographs of me with some very religious looking people...Muslim, who they labeled as ‘Aamir Khan With Muslim Terrorist’. It’s those minority who don’t want things to change, who don’t like what the show is revealing.”
“I’m aware of the fact that I’m annoying a lot of very powerful lobbies and a lot of very powerful people. These are small in number but they are extremely powerful. And I’m aware that I’m doing more than annoying them. I’m affecting them economically, I’m affecting them in many ways. But that just tells me that we are on the right track...but I do take the necessary precautions in case of looking after myself and my family.”Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan’s mother, Zeenat Hussain, says that when she was told about the idea of Satyamev Jayate, she told Aamir not to make it because it was very hurtful, and she wondered how people would digest what is being shown. But later she felt that Satyamev Jayate helped a lot of people and also helped changed people’s mindsets. She also mentions that though she heard about the threats that Aamir got for the show, the actor himself never mentioned anything about them to her.
The documentary also features Aamir’s wife, Kiran Rao, who states that since the show took on powerful institutions and people, a backlash was expected.
“There were times when it was quite frightening, especially when he was doing things about criminalisation of politics. It was very tricky for us as a family. Fairly well known criminals were being spoken about and one is always worried that there could be a backlash.”Kiran Rao
We also see Aamir breaking down during an interview for the documentary, where he admits that he was overwhelmed by Satyamev Jayate.
There are times when we feel really dejected and depressed and we feel - ‘why are we doing this? Nothing is going to change’. It’s very brutalising and emotionally traumatic for me....so, right now we are in the middle of finishing a season, I told them I am feeling very tired. We should take a break for some time.Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan on Dangal
“The film tries to say that we have to empower our girls and when you do that, a girl is as good as a guy in every way. Men have to change the way they think. I think, it’s not just men, it’s anyone who has a very patriarchal thinking, even a woman could have that thinking. We have to understand that human beings are all equal and have to be treated with equal respect and love. I am hoping that a lot of young girls will see how the two daughters are and get inspired from them, be able to dream big and try and fulfil their dreams.”Aamir Khan
The Al Jazeera documentary appears quite dated since season 3 of Satyamev Jayate ended back in 2014. Also, Aamir has already been quite vocal about his reasons for doing Dangal, which released last year. What’s interesting to watch though are some candid moments that Aamir spends with his mom, Zeenat, and his son Azaad. You can watch the complete documentary here.
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