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“Kapda hai bahut zyada par kameez bahut tang hai ... badal hai bahut zyada par baraste kitne kam hai”
The comic strategy employed by first-time Indian filmmaker Anusha Rizvi in “Peepli Live” can be easily recognized by anyone who has ever seen a Frank Capra movie of taking a serious social problem.
Then appeal to populist sentiment and enjoy a greater impact than making a solemn documentary on the subject while making it subject to satirical scrutiny. This film, produced by Bollywood icon Aamir Khan (the Oscar-nominated “Lagaan”) is both funny and sobering and with an aim to reach beyond Indian audiences.
Introduction
Movie’s Name - Peepli Live
Director’s Name - Anusha Rizvi
Cast - Omkar Das, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Raghubir Yadav, Malaika Shenoy, Shalini Vatsa, Farukh Jaffer
Runtime - 104 mins
Plot: Spoiler Alert!
Peepli Live features an enormous cast, but its story focuses on everyman Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri), a poor pot-smoking farmer within the village of Peepli who can’t pay back his government loan and risks losing his land.
Thousands of farmers in financial trouble kill per annum in India. When bumbling Natha learns that the govt. will compensate suicide victims’ families with 100 thousand rupees, he considers giving it a try.
Rizvi’s subject is this: As India moves to an industrialized economy, farmers are committing suicide by tens of thousands. Self-serving politicians within the least government levels — federal, state and native — are unwilling or unable to undertake to do anything about this.
So during a story that imitates Capra’s own “Meet John Doe” — although the filmmaker may never have heard of that 1941 film — a poor farming family faces the loss of their land because of an unpaid loan.
An area politician could care less so he derisively suggests that one of the brothers kill to take advantage of a government program to pay surviving relations.
Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri) takes the jest seriously and volunteers. His brother Budhia (Raghubir Yadav) all too easily agrees. A reporter (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) happens to overhear enough of the conversation to point it out into a news story.
A glamorous television reporter and presenter (Malaika Shenoy) rushes to the scene and shortly the entire country is trapped within the saga of the farmer who vows to kill himself.
This, of course, upsets various politicians all thanks to a top minister, whose blanket response to all or any policy questions is that “we must await supreme court orders.” An election is on the brink of happening therefore the news story threatens the ruling party’s lead within the polls.
Local and state politicians fall out, leading to one trying to save lots of Natha while others threaten the brother if Natha doesn’t kill himself. One even delivers a replacement pump to the family. Nobody installs it, mind you, but it makes a pleasant decoration within the family compound.
Soon a military of journalists surrounds Natha’s modest range in the village of Peepli. His addled mother (Farrukh Jaffer) screams at his shrewish wife (Shalini Vatsa) while his young son urges papa to travel through with the suicide so he can use the cash to become a policeman. One TV journalist, during a desperate search for a replacement angle, tries to look at Natha’s feces to figure out his spirit.
About the Movie
Peepli Live is a film over a suicide in a case of land ownership that makes you laugh. Anusha Rizvi examines a serious injustice in India today as she entertains with a bawdy take on the rural class struggle in her debut feature. She did an outrageous job with a wildly funny comedy to entertain everyone.
The warmhearted populism of Peepli Live will probably win over anxious exhibitors who viewed the idea of a comedy about an epidemic of suicides might be viewed as a case study in bad taste.
Rizvi firmly skewers the limited perspective of government officials and the media along with public gullibility in every situation and scene as the director and writer of the movie. For instance, a poll shows that Natha’s predicament was willing to be blamed on Muslim terrorists by a certain percentage of the population.
Interestingly Rizvi could not solve the problem of how to end a story about a threatened suicide alike Capra who once reportedly shot five endings. She ended up with probably her only choice when she made the ending an open ending.
She created much laughter out of a desperate social crisis which was an important thing and she also brought wider attention to problems in India’s rural communities.
Personal Verdict
A film like this largely depends on perfect casting and a flawless performance and Peepli Live is blessed with both which makes the story doesn’t demand any star-power. The sympathy-seeking face of Omkar Das Manikpuri does major talking for his character while he mouths minimal lines.
Raghuveer Yadav never loses screen presence and was exceptional even as the second lead. The Hindi news correspondent enacted by Vishal O Sharma; he was exceptionally good and a talent to look forward to.
Tactile would be an understatement for the look of the film as production values are high throughout. Rizvi takes no prisoners as no character’s motives or most private moments go unexamined.
Rizvi has turned her society’s hypocrisy into a broad canvas and the details magnified by DP Shanker Raman’s camera which takes the small village apart with his skills and touch.
The Bottom Line
Peepli Live makes for a perfect paradox having a ‘live’ in its title and a ‘suicide’ in its theme. And it highlights the absurdities of existence through such contradictions. Visiting this village is strongly recommended!
My ratings for the movie - 4 on 5
You may watch the movie on- Amazon Prime - Peepli Live
Written By - Resmita Barai
Edited By - Umme-Aiman
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