NEW YORK: Women are the key drivers of positive social change in India through television, according to the executive behind one of the most profoundly influential shows in India, Satyamev Jayate or "Truth Alone Prevails".
Hosted by superstar Aamir Khan on Star India, the weekly show has addressed some of India's most sensitive social issues and taboos such as female foeticide, inter-caste marriage, child sex abuse and voting corruption.
The channel felt "India was now ready, our viewers were ready and internally Star as a company was ready, to take that big leap," said Uday Shankar, CEO of Star India in a dialogue with Bobby Ghosh, Editor of Time International here Friday.
"We decided that we will sharply, in each episode focus on some of the things that must change in this country while all kinds of economic and social changes keep happening," he said at the event hosted by the prestigious Paley Centre for Media.
Star India had targeted women initially as "the driver characters for change are women," said Shankar. "They are the biggest ambassadors of change and proselytizers in their own context."
On conceptualising "Satyamev Jayate" and its impact on society Shankar said: "Aamir and I spent a lot of time discussing and finally we concluded that we are not going to pull our punches, neither in the creative expression, nor in the format."
"The sex ratio in India has been declining. The gap between female and male children has been rising," he said.
"But for the first time in 40 years, it was reversed by a factor of 24:1000" in Maharashtra thanks to "Satyamev Jayate" episode on female foeticide.
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