Satyamev Jayate (English: Truth Alone Prevails) is an Indian television talk show aired on

various channels within Star Network along with Doordarshan's DD National.[1] The first
season of the show premiered on 6 May 2012 and marked the television debut of popular
Bollywood actor and filmmaker Aamir Khan.[2] The second season of the show was aired
from 2 March 2014 [3] and the third season is starting from 5 October 2014 (every Sunday of
October at 11 AM)
The show focuses on sensitive social issues prevalent in India such as female foeticide, child
sexual abuse, rape, honour killings, domestic violence, untouchability, alcoholism, and the
criminalization of politics. It aims to bring the great achievements of people which often go
unnoticeable in order to encourage the audience to achieve their goals no matter what comes
in between. It also aims to empower citizens with information about their country, and urge
them to take action. While the primary language of the show is Hindi, it is simulcast in eight
languages such as Bengali, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu, and subtitled in English,
to ensure maximum reach.
The first season of Satyamev Jayate saw responses from viewers in 165 countries, including
Djibouti, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Isle of Man and Papua New Guinea. A sum of Rs 22.3
crore was received as donations by the NGOs featured on this season. The second season was
watched by 600 million Indians. The causes raised in the second season were supported by
over 3 crore people and the season generated more than one billion impressions online.

Concept
The concept of the show was not revealed in the Indian media until the show officially went
on air on 6 May 2012.[2] There were also no get-togethers, parties or press conferences
organized to discuss the content, leading up to the premiere of the show.[4] However, various
sources reported the show to be based on "the common man" rather than being fictional.[5]
Also, based on its content, it was mostly referred as a talk show discussing social issues like
child labour, health problems and other issues affecting the country.[6] Khan, who is known
for keeping secrecy for his movies,[6] was quoted saying, "I don`t want to talk much about
how the show will be, and about its format. I want everyone to see it directly on TV."[7]
However, commenting on the theme of the show, he said, "The show is about meeting the
common man of India, connecting with India and its people."[8] He also added, "Through this
show we understand the problem of the people, we are not here to make a change. I am no
one to change anything. I don`t think I am in the position to change anything else. I feel
understanding a problem and feeling it or holding one's hand or hugging is also important. I
may not have the solution, but at least I can hear and understand."[7]

Development
Uday Shankar, CEO of STAR India, suggested Aamir Khan to venture into television. Khan,
however, was hesitant at first but agreed and worked upon the concept of the show for two
years. In an interview with Zee News, he said, "Initially I was scared to do the show as we
were travelling on a different path. I was worried. It was in a way difficult, but we knew what
we are doing is different, but it comes straight from our heart."[7] He also added, "I cannot say

I understand TV completely. I was earlier scared to go ahead with the project. I can only say I
have made this show with complete honesty and without compromising on anything."[9]
The shooting of the show took place in several states of India and Khan traveled extensively
over several weeks to various places in Rajasthan, Kashmir, Kerala, Delhi, Punjab, and in the
North-East.[7] The studio portions of the show were shot in Vrundavan Studio[10] and Yash Raj
Studios in Mumbai.[11] Khan was adamant about naming the show 'Satyameva Jayate' as he
felt it completely gelled with the theme, which indicated that the show is of, for and belongs
to people of India. However, Khan later learnt the fact that the title 'Satyameva Jayate'
belonged to the country and cannot be registered for the copyrights as it cannot be exploited
on a creative level for promotional activities. The team however went ahead and borrowed
the title.[12]

Soundtrack
Aamir Khan came up with the idea of launching a music album for the show. He along with
Ram Sampath, the music director of Delhi Belly, created 13 songs for the 13 episodes that
were telecast in the inaugural season of the show.[13] In addition, the songs from the album of
the show were released digitally every week on Hungama.com and also across all mobile
operators as the series proceeds. The album was also released in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu
and Kannada.[14] Sukhwinder Singh recorded a 22-minute long song for the show which was
written by Prasoon Joshi.[13] On the song, Singh said, "Yes, I have sung a song which will be
used in the title track and some will be incorporated in the show. It is a dream song; it is a
song which will reflect humanity and nationality."[15]
Season 1
All music composed by Ram Sampath[16].

Track listing
No
Title
.

Lyrics

Singer

1. "O Ri Chiraiya"

Swanand Kirkire

Swanand Kirkire

2. "Dheere Dheere Haule

Haule"

Svati Chakravarti

Ram Sampath

3. "Rupaiya"

Swanand Kirkire

Sona Mohapatra

4. "Masoom Si Naav
Zindagi"

Suresh Bhatia

Ram Sampath

5. "Ghar Yaad Aata Hai

Mujhe"

Svati Chakravarti
& Suresh Bhatia

Ram Sampath &

Sona Mohapatra

6. "Chanda Pe Dance"

Munna Dhiman

Sona Mohapatra &

Shadab Faridi

7. "Sakhi"

Swanand Kirkire

Meenal Jain

8. "Mathi Bole"

Prasoon Joshi

Krishna Beura

9. "Ae Zindagi"

Munna Dhiman

Ram Sampath

Lengt
h

10. "Kabir Vani"

Munna Dhiman

Keerthi Sagathia

11. "Bahut Yaad Aathe Ho"

Munna Dhiman

Jaswinder Singh

12. "Jal na Jaaye Jal"

Munna Dhiman

Sukhwinder Singh

13. "Nikal pado re bandhu"

Munna Dhiman

Bonnie
Chakraborty

Season 2
All music composed by Ram Sampath.

Track listing
No
Title
.

Lyrics

Singer

1. "Bekhauff"

Svati Chakravarty

Sona Mohapatra

2. "Dhoondta Hai Man

Mera"

Suresh Bhatia

Ram Sampath

3. "Aam Ke Aam Honge"

Suresh Bhatia

Rituraj

4. "Kaun madari yahan kaun Swanand Kirkire

jhamura"

Lengt
h

Swanand Kirkire

Season 3
All music composed by Ram Sampath.

Track listing
No
Title
.

Lyrics

Singer

1. "Khelen"

Swanand Kirkire

Aman Trikha,
Arnab Chakrabarty
& Pawni Pandey

2. "Yeh Duaa"

Suresh Bhatia

Ram Sampath

3. "Saawan Aayo Re"

Svati Bhatkal

Ram Sampath

Lengt
h

Controversy
This article's Criticism or Controversy section may compromise the article's
neutral point of view of the subject. Please integrate the section's contents into the
article as a whole, or rewrite the material. (October 2014)
Palash Sen, the lead singer of the Indian rock band Euphoria sued and sent a legal notice to
Ram Sampath, for plagiarism of the title track of the show.[17] Sen commented that, "The
trailers and the anthem of this show have been running on television for quite a while, but I
had not seen the videos. When I heard it, I was shocked." He claimed that in the year 2000,

his band Euphoria released its second album Phir Dhoom, and one of its songs was named
"Satyameva Jayate". According to him, the refrain of Ram Sampath's track is exactly the
same as the chants in his song. He went on to add that, "They've basically used the same
refrain. Jo baaki ka gaana hai (the rest of the song), has different words and tune. But the
mainstay of the song the chorus is ours." Sen also stated that he wouldn't have minded
giving Sampath the permission to use the tune of his version of "Satyamev Jayate" had he
asked him for his consent and in return he would have just asked for a small credit to the
band for the song.[18]

Broadcast

Aamir Khan at Satyamev Jayate press conference, 12 July 2012.

Satyamev Jayate was the first show of Indian television which aired simultaneously on a
private channel network STAR and a national broadcaster Doordarshan. The show was
dubbed in several languages including three southern Indian languages viz., Malayalam,
Tamil and Telugu, along with Bengali and Marathi. Apart from Star Plus, the show was
simulcast on STAR World (with English Subtitles), STAR Utsav, STAR Pravah, STAR
Jalsha, Asianet and STAR Vijay within the STAR Network and other channels including DD
National and Eenadu TV.[6] Besides India, the show aired in over 100 countries around the
world.[19] On the broadcast, Khan commented, "This show is being launched on a large scale.
I had to make complete use of this medium. This is a baby step in that direction."[6]
Satyamev Jayate was dubbed into Kannada but was not broadcast in the language, due to an
self-imposed and self-enforced ban by the Kannada film industry, which does not allow a
dubbed version of any serial or movie to telecast in the state. The Kannada film industry,
however, does approve Kannada remakes of the same.[20] After the first episode, Shiv Sena
chief Bal Thackeray requested the Karnataka government to allow the show to be aired. On
the issue, Thackeray commented that "This show must not be tied up in parochial chains or
barred from the public. This is our view."[21] Khan also requested the Karnataka Film
Chamber of Commerce to allow the show to be aired in Karnataka.[22] The first episode in
Kannada was later released on show's official site.[23]
The show premiered on 6 May 2012 and was telecast on Sundays at 11 am IST thereafter.
While the channel authorities were high on showcasing it in the prime time at 9 pm,[24] Khan
wanted to telecast it on Sunday mornings since the slot was commonly considered as "family
TV viewing" time in Indian television after popular shows Mahabharata and Ramayana were
aired on Sunday mornings and were highly successful.[6] He was reported saying, "I wanted to
telecast my show on Sunday morning. I want each family to watch the show and connect with
it. We have watched Ramayana and Mahabarata and it used to come on Sunday morning.
The shows created a different atmosphere."[9] He further added that, "I don't understand TRPs
and GRPs. I have no idea how to calculate it! I don't care about it. It is important to reach out
to the Indian audiences. If viewers want to see, they will see or else it is up to them."[25][26]

Special screening in villages

Star Plus organised a special screening of the first episode of the show in some villages in
Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh where the villagers do not have access to television.
The initiative was said to have been taken to ensure Satyamev Jayate reaches all over the
country as it caters to the issues of the common people of the country. The program was
screened on 6 May 2012, during the same time it was aired across the country, on community
TV sets in villages like Bhingara and Kahupatta in Maharashtra, Chepa in Gujarat, Jhunkar in
Madhya Pradesh, Tikeri, Lalpur, Sarauta, Khannapurwa and Maniram in Uttar Pradesh. Most
of these villages are reported to have a population of less than 5,000.[27] Gayatri Yadav from
STAR India stated that, "This is an important and relevant show for all of India and Star India
is going all out to make sure that this show reaches out to all Indians even in places with
limited or no TV connectivity." Based on the response to its first episode, the screening of
subsequent episodes in a similar manner is being considered by STAR.[28]

Sponsors
The show was presented and sponsored by Airtel and co-sponsored by Aqua guard. Other
associate sponsors included Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Skoda Auto, Axis Bank, Berger
Paints and Dixcy Scott . The title sponsorship was signed at around
160 million
(US$2.6 million) to

200 million (US$3.2 million), while associate sponsors paid around

60 million (US$970,000) to

70 million (US$1.1 million). STAR India was reported

to give exclusivity to its sponsors by not selling any advertising spots to any of its sponsors
competitor's brand.[6] Khan asked his brand managers not to buy any advertising slots or
screen any of his advertisements during the show, fearing the dilution of its impact.[7] The
channel was reportedly paid a sum of
1 million (US$16,000) for a 10-second advertising
slot and had only 30 seconds of ad inventory left after the first episode went on air.[29]

Marketing
Promotions

Aamir Khan promotes Satyamev Jayate on Diya Aur Baati Hum serial
The teasers of the show were premiered on YouTube on 2 April 2012.[30] The makers of show
booked around 2,000 slots for the broadcasters promos in 27 hours for an amount of

62.5 million (US$1.0 million). Reportedly, this was the highest costing promotional
campaign for any Indian television show.[31][32] Besides, the show was also promoted in Indian
theaters. The theme song of the show was shown in 300 theaters across the country after the
national anthem. In addition, interactive sessions were organized with audiences about the
show in selected multiplexes of Mumbai and New Delhi. The responses of the audience were
recorded and shown on screen during movie intervals. B. V. Rao of Aamir Khan Productions,
claimed that "This is the first time that a TV show is being promoted in cinema halls."[33] On 3
May 2012, Khan appeared on the daily soap Diya Aur Baati Hum, aired on Star Plus to
promote the show.[34]

Theme song
External video
Satyamev Jayate official theme
song featuring Aamir Khan on
YouTube
The promo song of the show was composed by Ram Sampath, written by Prasoon Joshi and
sung by Keerthi Sagathia.[35] Initially planned to compose a national song or an anthem, the
team, however, composed a romantic love song reflecting the love for the country and
relating it with each Indian.[9] The song was shot by Ram Madhvani in different states of India
and was released on 13 April 2012.[36]

Mobile application
An official software application for the show was developed by Hungama Digital Media
Entertainment and was released on Apple Appstore for iOS devices including iPhone, iPad
and iPod for
100 (US$1.60) approximately. The app allowed apple users to stream songs
and videos of each of its episodes and supported social integration, donation through Airtel
money service, and followed the shows official Twitter timeline.[37] Upon release, the app
surpassed Instagram to make it to the top 25 apps on the Appstore within a couple of days.
The app also ranked number one in the entertainment category.[38]

Reception
Critical response
The show opened to highly positive reviews. Several media organizations praised Aamir
Khan for his effort and described the show as a movement. In her review, Ritu Singh of IBN
Live stated, "Aamir Khan deserves an applause for bringing up such a sensitive issue and
presenting it in a hard hitting way. The amount of research Aamir and his team has put into
the show was clearly visible with the facts and figures presented. Every aspect of the issue
was covered with great diligence." She concluded it by saying, "'Satyamev Jayate' is not just
a show; its a movement to change peoples mindset."[39] Parmita Uniyal from Hindustan

Times praised the content and format of the show and said, "Aamir Khan have to step in to do
what journalists are supposed to do make a difference. The show is a classic example of
that."[40] Gayatri Sankar from Zee News described the show as an "eye opener" and
commented that, "Satyamev Jayate will make you unlearn all the wrong you have learnt and
discover that compassionate human your soul wishes to be. The show grips you and leaves
you dumfounded! You will be left asking for more and would wish the show never ends."[41]
Trade analyst and film critic Komal Nahta commended that, "I cried while watching the
show. I think people will watch it as it has touched an emotional chord."[42] Neeraj Roy,
managing director and chief executive of Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, also praised
the show by commending "Brilliant effort. Well done Aamir Khan and Satyamev Jayate. We
can make a difference."[43] Sukanya Verma from Rediff.com expressed concerns regarding the
show saying, "This is a grand initiative and a sound format into which a lot has been invested
-- monetarily as well as in terms of research. Deriding this show simply because it is hosted
by a Bollywood actor who is also a marketing whiz, questions our credibility, not his."[44]
Some reviewers also criticized the show on various grounds. A review from Outlook India
noted that, "[...] the show might well heighten awareness, enable the efforts of those doing
real work at the ground level, and get the issue out of the denial closet, [...] But it is a little
unrealistic to expect a film star and a TV show to change the world."[45] Subhash Jha from
The Times of India commented on the show, "...though brave and thought provoking, was
disappointing in its lack of genuine connectivity between the host and the victims of social
atrocity. At the moment Satyamev Jayate looks like a product of elitist conscientiousness."[46]
Sheela Bhatt, from Rediff.com, commented that the format of Satyameva Jayate has to be
more profound, and the big problem of the show is that it is on predictable lines. She went on
conclude by requesting Khan to bring in some raw energy in the show.[47]

Viewers' response
The show also received positive feedback from various eminent personalities such as social
activists, media houses, film and television personalities. Bal Thackeray, the founder and
chief of the political party Shiv Sena praised the show and Khan for bringing out social issues
in front of public.[21] Prominent social activist and retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi described the
show as "creative, evidence based, emotionally connecting and inspiring"[48] while
commenting that, "It is an expression of the power of media and the inherent potential of
society in resolving its own problems."[42] Noted film actress Shabana Azmi appreciated the
show for its research and emotional content: "Aamir Khan's show can bring a revolution.
Thoroughly researched covers all aspects touches emotional chord n forces us to reexamine
ourselves."[48] While film producer Ekta Kapoor proclaimed the show as "the best show of the
decade", film directors Madhur Bhandarkar and Farhan Akhtar also praised the show
commenting that the show brought the "desired change" to the small screen[49] and that its "a
show with a heart" respectively.[48] Other high personalities who lauded the show included
Salman Khan,[50] Preity Zinta, Dia Mirza, Boman Irani, Neha Dhupia, Mandira Bedi, Kabir
Bedi, Mini Mathur, Kabir Khan, Maria Goretti, Vishal Dadlani, Ken Ghosh, Harsha Bhogle
& Pritish Nandy.[48][51][52][53]
Apart from the critics, film, social and political personalities, the show was well received by
the television viewers describing it as "a gutsy, hard-hitting and sensible program that strikes
an emotional chord with the audiences."[54] As per Indiantelevision.com, the show garnered an
overall rating of 4.27 television ratings (TVR) (including terrestrial of DD) across the 6
metropolitan cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, upon its

premiere telecast on 6 May 2012.[55] According to the Television Audience Measurement

(TAM), the show reached out to 8.96 million people in the age group of 4+. One hundred
thousand people tried calling in from across the country to speak to Khan during the show out
of which 10 or 11 people could eventually get through.[56]
On its premiere day, several topics related to the show were seen trending on the
microblogging site Twitter, occupying the "top five trends" on the site. The show received as
many as 2,254 tweets on the social networking site, even before the show ended its premiere
telecast[51] and reached to more than 3800 tweets on the day.[43] The hashtag #SatyamevJayate
began trending in the morning and continued to stay at the top through to the end of the day.
[53]
Next, the show's official site, satyamevjayate.in, was crashed within minutes of the end of
the first episode due to huge traffic. The site posted the message, "Thank you for your
overwhelming response to Satyamev Jayate. Unfortunately our servers have crashed due to
the traffic, will be back soon."[19] Also Satyamev Jayate was the top search in India on Google
Trends.[43] As of May 2012, the show's official page on Facebook has received more than
1,451,202 likes of which 233,000 likes were received on the day of its premiere.[57] The first
episode also opened many discussions on video sharing site YouTube, wherein, people left
emotional messages on the site. "A man who wanted a boy said that after watching the show
he cried and he apologized to his wife and said that he just wants her to be happy," said Khan
when talking to media.[58] Hindustan Times conducted an online poll asking the viewers, "Did
you like Aamir Khan's Satyamev Jayate?" to which 88% viewers agreed that they liked the
show, 5% felt that Khan and the show failed to impress and 7% remained undecided, waiting
to watch more episodes before forming their opinion.[53]
Persistent Systems Ltd, an Indian IT consultancy, was the analytics (insights) partner for this
show. Season 1 of Satyamev Jayate garnered 1.2 Billion impressions on the web.[59] It ranked
as the most talked about new show on the social media in the world.[60] Gigaom[61] quoted that
"Satyamev Jayate, one of Indias highest-rated television shows, is using data as a means to
effect meaningful change". Persistent Systems used The Big Data Solution to help Satyamev
Jayate keep track of how its viewership is interacting with the show. The show aggregated
viewers responses from Social Media (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube), Satyamev Jayate
Website (SpeakUp and DisQus) as well as from dedicated phone lines for the show. Variety of
languages used in the responses, different formats of the responses and the need of unearthing
more sentiments from the messages were challenging for the analytics team. The most
responses came in Hinglish, a mix of Hindi and English. They were in either text, audio or
video format. The analytics were beyond just Praise and Criticism. Persistent Systems had
more than 50 tags available for every episode for message analysis.[62] Star India Network's
Chief Marketing Officer Gayatri Yadav commented "What social media did was far beyond
anything producers anticipated. It took the show and made it the peoples show" about the
response from social networking sites.[63]

Comparisons
Indian television producer-director Siddhartha Basu compared the show with The Oprah
Winfrey Show stating, "I think Aamir makes for a pensive and studied Oprah. More power to
him and even more power to issues he raises that affect us all. Hopefully, it will get people
thinking and acting on it on a much bigger scale".[42] The Hindustan Times and Wall Street
Journal also compared the show with Oprah Winfrey Show.[42][64]

Parmita Uniyal from Hindustan Times felt the show succeeds in convincing people of the
outcomes of such practices better than a government campaign on female infanticide or a
television soap like Balika Vadhu.[40] Esha Razdan from Daily Bhaskar said the show was
similar to reality shows like Crime Patrol or Bhanwar that were successful in staging the
emotions perfectly on small screen but were treated differently in terms of format.[65]

Episodes
Season One
Main article: Satyamev Jayate (Season 1)
Episode

Title

Topic

Song

Original Air
date

Daughters are
precious

Female foeticide in India

"O Ri Chiraiya"

6 May 2012

Break the Silence

Child sexual abuse

"Haule Haule"

13 May 2012

Marriage or
Marketplace?

Dowry system in India

"Rupaiya"

20 May 2012

Every Life is
Precious

Medical malpractice

"Naav"

27 May 2012

Intolerance to Love

Love marriages and Honor

killings in India

"Ghar Yaad Aata Hai

Mujhe"

3 June 2012

Persons with
disabilities

Physical Disabilities

"Chanda Pe Dance"

10 June 2012

Danger at home

Domestic Violence

"Sakhi"

17 June 2012

Poison on our Plate?

Pesticide poisoning and

Organic farming

"Maati Bole"

24 June 2012

Think before you

Drink

Alcohol abuse

"Ae Zindagi"

1 July 2012

10

Dignity for All

Casteism and
Untouchability

"Kabir Vani"

8 July 2012

11

Sunset Years,
Sunshine Life

Old age

"Bahut Yaad Aate

Ho"

15 July 2012

12

Every Drop Counts

Water crisis and Rainwater

harvesting

"Jal na Jaaye Jal"

22 July 2012

13

Idea of India

We The People

"Nikal Pado"

29 July 2012

14

Satyamev Jayate Ka
Safar

Independence Day Special

Season Two
Main article: Satyamev Jayate (Season 2)

15 August
2012

Episode

Title

Topic

Song

Original Air
date

Fighting Rape

Rape in India

"Bekhauf"

2 March 2014

Police

State of Police Affairs in

India

"Dhoondata Hai
Man Mera"

9 March 2014

Dont Waste your

Garbage

Solid Waste Management

"Aam ke Aam
Honge"

16 March
2014

Kings Every Day

Corruption

"Kaun Madaari
Yahan Kaun Jamura"

23 March
2014

Criminalisation of
Politics

Crimes and Elections

" Ek Khwaab Tha"

30 March
2014

Season Three
Main article: Satyamev Jayate (Season 3)
Episode

Title

Topic

Song

Original Air
date

A Ball Can Change

The World

Changing Lives with Sports "Khelen"

5 October
2014

Road Accidents or
Murders?

Road accidents

12 October
2014

Accepting
Atlernating
Sexualities

LGBT community

19 October
2014

TB - The Ticking
Time Bomb

Diagnosis and cure of

Tuberculosis

26 October
2014

Nurturing Mental
Health

2 November
2014