Washington: Aamir Khan has been felicitated with a prestigious US award in recognition of his successful effort to create debate on country's pressing social problems through his popular TV show 'Satyamev Jayate'. The 47-year-old Bollywood star was presented with the Inaugural America Abroad Media Award along with Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow and the International Center on Non-violent Conflict (ICNC) at a function here, which was attended by city's who's who, including those from the State Department, Pentagon and diplomats. "I have no idea that how the work that we started back home would interest somehow outside India," Aamir said in his acceptance speech.
"Me and my team are trying to do this show with love, because we feel that we are part of the problem and we are also part of the solution. And we need to find that. We need to question ourselves and look inside as opposed to pointing outside," he said in a panel discussion post the ceremony.
It was one of the rare occasions when Aamir, who has made it a practice of not attending award shows, accepted an award. Aamir, who was accompanied by his filmmaker wife Kiran Rao, said he is working on the next season of the show, which had caught the imagination of the country last year.
"All my capabilities lie in the field of media and storytelling. So we try to combine our expertise and capabilities in storytelling and television and picking social issues we feel that can make a difference," he said. Aamir said, though it is nice to be felicitated here, he is more concerned about Indian audience. "My main aim is to really work in India and to sensitize people about issues and see that we can find solutions to our own issues back home. I am looking to talking to Indians," he said.
With India entering an election season, the five State Assembly elections followed by the general elections next year, Aamir said he would like to see political parties making social justice and the needs of the common man as part of their agenda. "These are some of the things that I would like them to talk about," he said. When asked by a Pakistani journalist whether he would work for a Pakistani film, Aamir said yes. "I am a creative person. Whenever I receive an offer from any part of the world, which is of interest to me, I would like to do that. The culture of India and Pakistan are the same. Our language is the same. There is a lot of similarities among us. So indeed if there is any offer of a film from Pakistan, and I like the script, I would certainly like to do that." .
Bigelow, the other winner, is the director of 'Hurt Locker' and 'Zero Dark Thirty', where she chronicled America's decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden. In 2010, Bigelow became the first and only woman to date to win the Academy Award for Best Director for 'Hurt Locker'.
Founded by Peter Ackerman, the ICNC produces award-winning documentaries on the role of non-violent resistance in promoting democratic change. The ICNC - which was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 - will release a new documentary on the Arab Spring and uprising in Egypt later this year.
