SATYAMEV JAYATE
One of India’s highest-rated television shows on various social issues: ranged from
- Child Sexual Abuse
- Female Feticide
- Farming & Food
- Rape Nation
- Love Jihad & Khapp Panchayats
- Masculinity & Gender Discrimination
- Domestic Violence & Dowry Harassment
- Child Labor
- Road Accident & Drunken Driving
- Alcoholism
- Politics & Right to Vote
- Police Reforms
- Idea of India
- Mental Health
- Health & Pharma
- Toxic Food
- Sports & Fitness
and so on of total 24 intense and socially pressing topics hosted by Bollywood megastar Mr. Aamir Khan- which brought the attention of the public and government to various social issues in India. Telecast on Star Plus, Star World, Doordarshan and six other Indian language channels.
Director: Satyajit Bhatkal
Producer: Aamir Khan Productions, Mumbai, India
Key Responsibilities: Team Leader & Chief Outdoor Cinematographer
- Shanti Bhushan Roy was in charge of all outdoor documentary shoots – engaged with various subjects and creative team to understand the nuances of stories to be woven in audio visual medium
- Designed a visual theme and also formulated the right equipment for documentation and added lots of value to the story which used to be shot sometimes with script and sometimes without script.
- Mr. Shanti Bhushan Roy created a team of like-minded cinematographers whom I oriented towards the quality, approach and sensitivity of the content to be shot.
- Shot dozens (almost 70) of Documentaries as part of this Program.
Satyamev Jayate - Travels
It all started in December 2010 when I was called by my friend Vipin to join the crew as Cinematographer on a Documentary Project on Female Foeticide by Svati Chakravarty in December 2010. Satyajit Bhatkal- the Director of the Program saw my earlier cinematographic work and appreciated it. Then the journey of audio video documentation started for the Documentary From Jan 2011 along with Manish Pingle joining a Sound Recordist. It got completed in March 2011. It was a very intense journey for all of us and very depressing to see the state of affairs in our society- which we all knew but facing it on a day to day basis was emotionally draining. We travelled extensively in nothern states and other parts of the county as well.
A few months after the research documentary was completed, it became a kind of proof of concept for the Aamir Khan show which came to be called “Satyamev Jayate”.
The show is about various sensitive sociological issues which our country is facing. As work on the show began the team grew. Other friends joined in – Gissy Michael , Vipin Bhati , Anish Chacko , Shahaab Alam, Ravi Verma as sound recordists and also Christopher Rego, Prerana Thakurdesai , George K Antoney as part of the field research team along with Pankaj Johar, Ritu Bhardwaj, Dilip Choudhari and Manju Singh.
I have worked as the chief Cinematographer – mainly in charge of outdoor shoots. I engaged with various subjects and tried to understand them. I tried to design a visual theme and also formulated the right equipment for documentation and tried to add value to every story which was to be shot, many a times in a very exploratory fashion.
We travelled almost the entire length and width of this beautiful coutry – which lives with all her contradictions – met amazing people, ate countryside food, lived with best and worst of surroundings, got lots of warmth, compassion and resistance as well.
We travelled across more than 18 states, 60 districts,75 villages. thousands of Miles of Road, Train and Air Travel in the span of six months – one could see the joy for life is same everywhere and everybody needs love and care with compassion. We as intelligent people with so called sensitivity need to see our own country and its people with an open heart and with compassion and need to treat it as our own – accept the development which is inclusive, education which inculcates sensitivity – if we want a vibrant and thriving society which is sensitive, tolerant and compassionate. As Tagore had said, we must make a courntry where our mind is fearless and heart is full of love and we move to path of progress with lots of compassion towards each other.
A few months after the research documentary was completed, it became a kind of proof of concept for the Aamir Khan show which came to be called “Satyamev Jayate”.
The show is about various sensitive sociological issues which our country is facing. As work on the show began the team grew. Other friends joined in – Gissy Michael , Vipin Bhati , Anish Chacko , Shahaab Alam, Ravi Verma as sound recordists and also Christopher Rego, Prerana Thakurdesai , George K Antoney as part of the field research team along with Pankaj Johar, Ritu Bhardwaj, Dilip Choudhari and Manju Singh.
I have worked as the chief Cinematographer – mainly in charge of outdoor shoots. I engaged with various subjects and tried to understand them. I tried to design a visual theme and also formulated the right equipment for documentation and tried to add value to every story which was to be shot, many a times in a very exploratory fashion.
We travelled almost the entire length and width of this beautiful coutry – which lives with all her contradictions – met amazing people, ate countryside food, lived with best and worst of surroundings, got lots of warmth, compassion and resistance as well.
We travelled across more than 18 states, 60 districts,75 villages. thousands of Miles of Road, Train and Air Travel in the span of six months – one could see the joy for life is same everywhere and everybody needs love and care with compassion. We as intelligent people with so called sensitivity need to see our own country and its people with an open heart and with compassion and need to treat it as our own – accept the development which is inclusive, education which inculcates sensitivity – if we want a vibrant and thriving society which is sensitive, tolerant and compassionate. As Tagore had said, we must make a courntry where our mind is fearless and heart is full of love and we move to path of progress with lots of compassion towards each other.
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