Standing up to his name and fame

I had this in mind since a long time but never got a chance to pen in down until today. And it couldn't have been better to write this on the day when first season of Satyamev Jayate ends. Aamir Khan, you deserve a standing ovation from me. This is not because you created SJ, neither because you are such a big star, nor for being a terrific actor and not even for being a good person. I salute you for your endeavor as human being, for there really are very few like you who understand who they are, what they owe to the society at large and make genuine attempts to give it back.

Now you don't get any prize for guessing who's my favorite Bollywood actor, I guess I have made it very obvious indeed! This goes back to the year 1998 with the release of Ghulam. Apart from his acting, the race against the train sequence, "Das Das ki Daud", is still fresh in my memory. That stunt was one of its kind; atleast I had not seen something like that before. When I heard and read that Aamir did it himself I was truly amazed! He had the balls to pull it off and he did it wonderfully, as we all know. He also gave vocals to a song in the film, "Aati kya Khandala", which became hit overnight and soon other contemporary actors followed Aamir likewise. His IAS officer role in Sarfarosh in 1999 had inspired me so much so that I wanted to be an IAS officer myself. I guess as a film star Aamir has never had failure since Sarfarosh; all his films right till today have done very well and his filmmakers have certainly recovered much more than their invested pennies. Today, the hype for his upcoming films Talaash and Dhoom 3 are already so high that producers of these films need not invest in marketing these films. Cinema halls will most probably run house full shows once these films hit theaters. 

Aamir has displayed a propensity to do unconventional things, in his career and his life. He got married to Reena, parsi by religion, at a young age. Few years back they separated and he is now married to Kiran Rao, hindu by religion. In his career things like choosing scripts such as Lagaan, Earth and Rang De Basanti, building up a great physique for Ghajini or shedding all of it for a young look in 3 Idiots, have all been unique. He puts much thought into his character as we can sense from his hairdo, physique, script choices and performances in all his films. His directorial debut with a film like Taare Zameen Par was a master stroke. Such a sensitive yet ignored topic like Dyslexia was presented with such uncanny perspective. Not taking away any credit from Amole Gupte who assisted him in the film, but it feels like only Aamir could have done it as brilliantly as we all know. His performance and it's impact in 3 Idiots is so overwhelming that it has certainly influenced the perspective of parents towards education in totality. Of late, Aamir has shown his genius in marketing his movies to perfection. He's been like Pied Piper when it comes to advertising his films; highly successful in attracting audiences to theaters in huge numbers. He also repaid his debt to his uncle Nasir Hussain by launching his nephew Imran Khan with a bang. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na was a simple film and had it not been for the promotional genius of Aamir, it might had not been as hit as it did. Nasir Hussain had successfully launched Aamir in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, way back in 1988 and since then it was never looking back for Aamir.

And now, after more than two decades of successful career and enough money, he comes up with Satyamev Jayate. It's a wonderful show no doubt, but what has gone into giving it birth and bringing it up makes it even more special. It's content, based on facts and expert analysis, makes it worth noticing. People who come to the show and speak up seem genuine, and not scripted like other "reality" shows. The array of chosen subjects in last 12-13 episodes show the reach of dilemmas we as Indians face. It has a philanthropy aspect to it as well and with Aamir, people are more willing to donate be it through SMS or online/card payments. Then, Aamir decides to broadcast this show on national television as well for maximum reach and at the same time reach people who cannot afford cable/DTH connections. Going on air at 11 am on a Sunday morning, just the thought behind choosing it shows his genius! Audiences did not have a good show to watch over breakfast/brunch. As we sip in tea/coffee on a relaxed Sunday morning, coming to terms with harsh realities bothering our society and being provoked to take action is slightly easier. Aamir created a new time slot altogether, thereby attracting marketers and thus helping broadcasting channels earn additional advertising revenue. Entertainment quotient of the show is maintained as well. Title song is brilliantly written and composed, and the songs performed at the end of each episode have all been very sensitive and soulful. 

But we need to look beyond all this, for him to come up with a show like SJ speaks volumes about his character. It's one thing to be famous and other to use fame the right way. Aamir, as unconventional as ever, has used his fame for the society as brilliantly as for himself. No one can deny that this show is his honest effort to try and help the society at large. His popularity is because of the love and affection of the society and his payback couldn't have been better. We should not compare apples to oranges but still, has Aamir's contemporaries given back to the society as much as he has? I don't want to get into this debate, it can be done in another post. But I hope you get my point. 

Aamir means Leader, and Aamir Khan has lived up to his name and fame like very few. He's often referred to as Perfectionist, and he has earned it by being so consistent over all these years. He ain't a perfect person because nobody ever can. But his effort is no less than perfect, at anything he does. Satyamev Jayate is a golden feather in his cap and in years to come people are going to remember him more for it than any of his films. Hats Off Aamir, for being the person you are!

Suffer Khan

Back in my MBA days I remember our HR professor, Mr. Cabral telling us about common reasons for employees switching over to new jobs. He quoted, "Contrary to popular belief, salary hike is not such a restless reason for job change. Bad boss is!" And I was (un)lucky enough to face this fact in my first ever job upon completing MBA. 

Those were some of the most inglorious days of my life. Global recession had hit people like me high and dry with no jobs. Frustration had crept in and erupted out upon citing the slightest of chances. I was battling on personal front as well. Amidst all this chaos I receive a call one fine day about a job opening in Jawed Habib for the profile of Project Manager. I was so anxious that I did not even find out about the company and went for the interview on the same day. I was low on confidence and so never thought I would make it. But I did; they offered a meager salary and I readily accepted. 

I had no clue what was the profile. I remember day one being spent visiting banks for some paper work for franchisees. I had no clue what franchisee is, nothing about the bank work, nothing about anything at all. It was all on the job training. The summer intern who was handing over his list of tasks and job responsibilities to me was of some help. I got into groove in a few days, thanks to reading magazines about Franchisee business. I was recruited as Project Manager but was working as Site Incharge, Project Manager, Sales Executive, Vendor Development Executive and Franchisee Assistance all at the same time. I had a new set of visiting cards every week. The funny part is, the guy who got my cards printed used to ask me, "So what's your designation for today?" (LOL, LMAO, ROFL)

Suffer Khan, as I shall refer to him to veil his identity, was a ruthless boss, to the core. He wanted employees who will get his job done no matter what. He did not have the time and energy to train his employees, give them enough chances to cover up. He was a Blackberry Boy, always bombarding us with texts to be updated with what's happening at our end. He has made me improve communication over mobile, bothering me at any time of the day, across any day of the week and expecting replies within a time limit of 2 minutes. There were times when he didn't even let me take peaceful shit! But one thing made him more negatively inclined towards me; I was not doing a good job. 

There was nothing wrong with my dedication or hard work, it's just that I was not meant for that job. I was a mis-hire and I was coming to terms with it. He was not. I remember him sending me out to one of our franchisee outlets and making me work there past midnight, also expecting me to reach office on time the next day (Mall was at Vashi and I reached home early morning at 5:30 am and this guy expects me to reach office at Andheri by 10 am!). My colleague and my only good friend to share all this with was Harman and he knew what I was going through. He used to comfort me, giving hope and confidence to do well. Later he started asking me to look out for a new job but I wasn't getting any. He told me one day that he heard Suffer Khan saying, "I don't want employees who cannot perform. If they don't go on their own, we will curse them out!" I had nothing much to do except to keep improving and keep going, simultaneously looking out for another job. But my efforts were not enough, as I was a mis-fit for the existing job and unlucky to find any new job.

Till that time I was constantly telling myself to improve, become good for the job at hand. But it suddenly changed over one rainy evening. Our office boy was on leave and it was just me and Harman working at office. Suffer Khan comes to office and tells us a prospective franchisee is on his way. I dug out the required paper work, so did Harman. The party came and were sitting in the conference room. Suffer calls at my desk, asks me to order some snacks for the party. I order snacks which are delivered almost instantly. I took it to the conference room and was about to leave when Suffer says, "Where are you going? Who's gonna serve this?" I was taken aback, didn't know what hit me! I took it back, served it on a plate and was about to go back in the conference room. Two drops of tears rolled down my cheek when Harman saw me. Looking at me, he tightened his right fist portraying, "It's OK. Buck up!" I went in, served the plate and was about to leave when Suffer passes a remark I could never forget; "Now that's like an MBA!". 

I came out to my desk totally disheartened. I didn't even have the courage of resigning then and there because I had landed up in that job after so much waiting and couldn't blow it up like this. I did not mention this incident to my parents as I knew they would want me to leave the job the next day. I was too ashamed to narrate this to my friends. I gulped down all my anger, ego and everything else and just passed it off. But I had made up my mind that day about one thing; the day I get another job, no matter how good or bad it would be, I am leaving this goddamn job!

I guess even He could not take that shit anymore, so He brought a good job opportunity to me. I went for the interview, got through to the final round. After a week or so, I received a call by Mr. Anshuman Misra asking if I was ready to join Logicserve. The package was better than my then current package, plus weekend off. I had no reason to rethink, nor did Suffer Khan when I sent him my resignation email. He replied, "It's OK. All the Best." the next minute!

And today I am venturing in the field of Digital marketing with such happiness. Professionally I am doing good, touch wood! My work is appreciated and I am being paid decent enough as well. So I should also thank Suffer Khan for cursing me out. Just one thing, Suffer could have sat down with me and told me, "Dude, it's not happening. You should leave". Trust me, I would have done that. I am sensible enough to accept it and move on. Point is, it''s always better to tell someone such things by words and not by actions, it's much clear that way!