Peepli Live

The story of farmers suicides can be the base for some really potent dark humor. That is what Peepli Live is. The film that has the audience across the theaters in splits with its brand of humor, shocked with the liberal use of expletives and thinking about how they need to start thinking about farmers suicides. Anusha Rizvi, a journalist with NDTV news channel has written a script that is endearing and thought provoking without being preachy.Natha (played by Omkar Das Manikpuri) and Budhia (Raghubir Yadav) are two brothers who are impoverished farmers who cannot repay their loans. The Govt has announced a “relief” of about $2000 to the family of every farmer who commits suicide. Budhia comes up with this idea of encouraging his brother to commit suicide. In a weak moment Natha succumbs to that passing thought.The reaction of the media, the politicians, the society all provide food for satire.  Will Natha commit suicide and will the government pay up if he does – that is a question you have to see the film to find the answer.  The stakes are high. Every media channel is camping in front of Natha’s house. The politician’s want to play every card there is to get the votes needed for the upcoming election. The media is running out of patience and sound bytes. Even Natha’s son nudges him up from sleep to check how much more they all have to wait before he dies. Natha as a mute spectator to the drama and hype surrounding his own death is brilliantly conveyed right through. I have to make a special mention of Farookh Zafar who is absolutely hilarious as “Amma” – the bedridden abuse-spewing mother of the brothers.The film is clearly resonating with audience everywhere. In its opening weekend Peepli earned Rs 21 crore in the box office at home. With 109 overseas prints it grossed another $6,40,000 ( 2.88 crore) abroad, more than some bigger recent films like Once Upon a Time in Mumbai. Peepli received one of the highest openings for a non cast film in overseas markets. So the belief that the Non Resident Indians only go for the Karan Johar variety of films is also a myth. It only proves that there are stories that are engaging and those that are not. Peepli is certainly in the first category. The film’s promos caught my attention because of the Aamir Khan brand. Since he is the producer, the film is likely to be good. Having seen the film, all I can say is that it will do well because it is a fantastic satire. It is difficult to find witty films in Bollywood of the caliber of Pushpak, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron etc. This film will certainly feature in that category.The story is compelling. Anusha Rizvi does a superb job as the director and it is hard to believe that it is her first film. The humor and satire are brilliant and insightful. I loved the use of folk songs – Mehengai Dayan performed as only Raghubir Yadav can. The film ends with the thought provoking statistic of 8 million farmers having moved to urban areas in search of employment. That shakes the frivolous mood back to the grim reality that the film seeks to get you to take back home. Very few films can do that. This is a film that is funny and yet grim. In some strange manner it reminded me of a movie I had watched years ago – Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. The humor of Peepli Live is of the same class. The subtext shines right through. Go see it.——————————Check out the official website of the film here