By Sharanya Gopinathan
Dangal has been super successful at the box office, so now Aamir Khan is apparently the leading authority on all things that have to do with women and their progress.
So is Star Plus, which is seriously working on its own version of progress, especially when it isn’t exactly the first channel you’d think of when you say the words “progressive thought”. But over the last few years, Star Plus has been trying to revamp their image (or earn brownie points for acting like they care about women, I dunno, you decide). They frequently put out we’re-progressive-now type adverts (rishta vahein, soch nayein) in addition to giving several of their running serials what they imagine to be “modern” makeovers through dress, thoughts and plots.
Their latest offering is a #SochNayi advertisement featuring Aamir Khan, whom we think needs to learn to pass the damn mic now. The ad shows Aamir Khan as Gurdeep Singh, a slow-talking sweet shop owner, speaking to a customer who thinks that the shop’s newfound success (sweets are apparently selling ‘shooo te shaa’ — is that a common phrase?) is because of Singh’s sons’ business acumen. Aamir Khan points out that they are his daughters, not his sons, and the board outside reads Gurdeep Singh & Daughters. Waaaow, so deep.
The two smiling sisters appear for about a total of seven seconds in the entire advertisement. The rest is monopolised by Aamir Khan and customer uncle, which is kind of the problem with stunts like this. Not only are we kindly being shown the way forward by a man who works in an industry that has sexism oozing out of its ears, but the issue being discussed also gets monopolised by that person’s star power. People aren’t talking about Gurdeep Singh’s two (nameless) daughters, or even about women in general, they’re excited about the new Aamir Khan advert on Star Plus. Which is fine I guess, but it certainly isn’t #SochNayi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyKcaJhVhEU
February 28, 2017 at 12:05 pm
I don’t agree as utimatly it is the message what matters and this advertis makes it clear about female equality.Had it not been Aamir Khan it would not hv got so much milage and exposure.
February 28, 2017 at 1:45 pm
Do we really need cis-gendered straight men championing the rights of women? They have had enough stage to parade their skills on. Also, nayi soch could have been a widowed mother/a single mother/an old granny/an acid-attack victim, with two daughters who could speak for themselves.
February 28, 2017 at 3:02 pm
I think we need every damn person we can get to put forward rights of women, and I think it’s perfectly fine when cis-gendered straight men say something nice. I have wondered so many times how awesome it would be to see a ‘somebody and daughters’ board in front of a business establishment, and I really appreciate the fact that a channel as regressive as star plus put this out. It means that this message reaches all the crazies who actually watch the channel.
March 1, 2017 at 5:32 am
Rishtay wahi sooch wahi
March 1, 2017 at 9:36 am
This article is really poorly written….. For the ad to reach to wide audience it needs smeone like Aamir to star in it….
March 1, 2017 at 7:26 pm
Just read a news report that Star Plus is indeed getting revamped; will hopefully be less regressive; not that I would know much, since I don’t watch tv except for the odd film or special show; in any case I feel that tv viewing has gone down a fair bit.
The most interesting bit about this star plus news that I read — next in line with ad for the channel — SRK! Ha ha. Now will there be another nasty article, or is SRK a favourite.?Should be interesting to watch this space.
And no Aamir doesnot need to pass the damn mic now, as you so sneakily put it. He appears in a film once a year or more likely once in two and he has every right to act as long as he wishes to. He does not appear in ads other than an odd public service message — and he does not do it for the central government , which is not exactly favourably disposed towards him. He is also busy with his social service work in Maharashtra , helping fight drought. Let him be.
March 2, 2017 at 10:17 am
Every effort counts,the mass audience will only listen to icons like Aamir Khan.
We are not at the stage wherre we can be choosy.
U don’t see SRK of Salman doing these ads despite the mass audience.
Hence this effort really matter as the msg shall ring very well
March 2, 2017 at 10:48 am
The ad is set within the current cultural framework of existing stereotypes and thus it has to address the issue of thinking differently “nayi soch” within that framework. In my opinion it’s a perfectly good ad encouraging fathers (traditional patriarchs) to see their daughters as having rights to ownership (that’s why the board outside the sweet shop)of their property and business and also encouraging fathers to be proud of their daughters contributions and support in running a business and family. I think its a wonderful ad. when you think of its audience. The ad. is riding off the success off Aamir’s Dangal and that’s the a perfectly good strategy in the advertising world.
March 4, 2017 at 7:58 pm
Seems to be a face-saving exercise by Bollywood and TV industry. Everyone knows Showbiz is misogynist and sexist. Aamir khan himself is a misogynist who left his wife Reena. He seems to be doing this ad just for money offered by Star Plus. Another self-promotion drama like Satyamev Jayate. Doing one commercial (that too for money and fame) won’t make you a feminist Everyone wants to use feminism as a tool to go viral and get famous. Self promotion won’t help feminism but it’ll surely help aamir to Rebuild his public image.
March 15, 2017 at 11:25 am
After very long time Aamir Khan did one ads and really good one.
#SochNayi
March 28, 2017 at 3:53 pm
Aamir Khan always do something different specially for women and girls. When I saw this ads, I felt good and though about the nayi soch.
Always do different for women.
April 6, 2017 at 11:55 am
#SochNayi
Aamir Khan is back on TV.