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Bollywood Star Remakes Himself Into TV Conscience

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Aamir Khan spent more than two decades as one of India's most admired movie stars, appearing in a string of socially conscious but mainstream films,” Vikas Bajaj wrote in The New York Times.

“Now he has gained even more fame as the host of a popular weekly television show that is calling attention to some of the country's longstanding social problems,” Mr. Bajaj wrote.

Mr. Khan's show, “Satyamev Jayate,” or “Truth Alone Prevails,” is taped in front of a live audience, and is something more than a talk show but short of “60 Minutes.” Mixing Oprah-style interviews on a couch with short reports from the field, it tries to shine a spotlight on festering issues like dowries, domestic violence and the indignities of the caste system.

In just three months, the Sunday morning show has become a national phenomenon, distributed in seven languages and dra wing a cumulative audience of nearly 500 million, according to Star India, the network that broadcasts it.

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