Peepli [Live] (2010)

An impoverished farmer's threat to end his life invites attention from politicians and media.

Directors:

Anusha Rizvi, Mahmood Farooqui (co-director)

Writers:

Bhadwai (lyrics), Swanand Kirkire (lyrics)

Stars:

Omkar Das Manikpuri, Raghuvir Yadav, Shalini Vatsa

4 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Omkar Das Manikpuri	...	Nathadas Manikpuri
Raghuvir Yadav	...	Budhia Manikpuri
Shalini Vatsa	...	Dhaniya N. Manikpuri
Farrukh Jaffar	...	Mrs. Manikpuri / Amma
Malaika Shenoy	...	Nandita Malik
Vishal Om Prakash	...	Kumar Deepak (as Vishal Sharma)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui	...	Rakesh
Sitaram Panchal	...	Bhai Thakur
Naseeruddin Shah	...	Salim Kidwai - Agricultural Minister
Aamir Bashir	...	Vivek
Pravin Singh Sisodia	...	Gudda Babu
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Masood Akhtar	...	Editor
Maxima Basu	...	Lady Reporter
Sakshi Bhatia	...	Reporter
Avijit Dutt	...	Boss of English TV Channel

Storyline

In the lead up to state elections in the Indian village of Peepli, two poor farmers, Natha and Budhia, face losing their land over an unpaid bank loan. Desperate, they seek help from an apathetic local politician, who scornfully suggests they commit suicide to benefit from a government program that aids the families of indebted deceased farmers. When a journalist overhears Budhia urge Natha to "do what needs to be done" for the sake of their families, a media frenzy ignites around whether or not Natha will commit suicide.

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Plot Keywords:

poverty | media exploitation | corrupt politician | rural india | farmer | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peepli Live was India's official entry for the 83rd Academy Awards Best Foreign Film category,however it did not get nominated.

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Quotes

Deepak: lf you look closely you 'll see Natha's footprints. Whether escape or abduction, here's where Natha perched himself for the last time. And here's the fruit of his toil, his faeces, commonly known as shit. Take a close look. Do not cringe at the sight, for, as long as we live, we will continue to shit. Psychiatrists claim that faeces reflect our mental state. The complexion of our shit is a window to the inner self. But here we see a mixture of hues. Therefore, before reaching any conclusions we...

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Connections

Featured in The Wright Stuff: Episode #14.35 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Des Mera
Composed by Indian Ocean
Lyrics by Sanjeev Sharma and Swanand Kirkire
Performed by Indian Ocean

User Reviews

Foul mouthed Truisms and Suave lies.

Contrary to my gut feeling Peepli Live wasn't too bad a movie to catch , especially when you are looking for entertainment in it's more rudimentary form.

Minimalist in her approach, The director of this movie has proved beyond a doubt that melodrama and reality are two very different and hardly reconcilable things. Bare naked in it's projection of Indian Villages, the movie is what Khosla K Ghosla was to the middle class. In fact one feels nauseatic watching those ridiculous 80's 90's flicks where village folk were depicted as specimens from a high end fancy dress exhibition. With damsels wearing mutlicoloured , skimpy clothes and men wearing hideous outfits bearing no similarity whatsoever with the actual village attires.

Peepli on the other hand treats everything as it is. The movie is devoid of glamour, any glamour. Which means the movie , given it's theme, is good.

There are no subplots which drag the viewer away into romantic liaisons. No sugary silver linings here.

The entire cast fits in well with the theme and also makes us wonder as to how can all those Khans, Kapoors , Khannas call themselves actors .I mean the actors in the movie didn't give away anything.

The script however was ridden with too many profanities for comfort. The movie could have done without them as well . But that's creative freedom and also gave some folks in the theatre something to cheer about.

The movie is good.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi English

Release Date:

13 August 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Live aus Peepli - Irgendwo in Indien

Filming Locations:

Madhya Pradesh, India

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$350,054, 15 August 2010

Gross USA:

$757,951

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,460,931

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aamir Khan Productions, UTV Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1