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

Top Rated Indian Movies #200 | 2 wins & 6 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:

farmer | media | politician | bank | mother | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$754,836, 5 September 2010

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

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

References Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (2008)

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Soundtracks

Chola Maati Ke Ram
Music by Nageen Tanvir
Performed by Nageen Tanvir

User Reviews

Beats most of the American movies I've seen this year

I'm a native American and saw this movie in a theater with maybe 30 Indians (sorry, I'm old enough to find multiple ironies in that sentence). Anyway, I went into this movie with no expectations. Though I've seen a number of Indian movies over the last few years, I knew nothing of this author or director. I laughed out loud more than I have for any Hollywood movie this year. My cohorts found it even funnier than I, but I guarantee you that you don't need to know that much about Indian politics or media to get most of this satire.

It starts with a farmer deciding to commit suicide to get his family the $2000 that may save his farm from foreclosure. From there, the media and government turn it into a circus, stepping all over themselves in their self-serving ways.

It suffers only in minor ways from a few slow spots and odd shifts in tone, but these are worth sitting through. It's currently showing here only at a suburban Atlanta theater that shows a combination of H-wood and B-wood. This should have been picked up by some American distributer when it showed at Sundance. Hopefully, enough people will see it and generate the buzz to get it to a wider audience.