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

Manu Rishi was signed for the film but later dropped.

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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

Excellent !

The film is a hard hitting satire about the country, its people and the living conditions. More importantly, it has exposed the Indian psyche. It shows that India is not run by anybody. It runs on its own.

The movie also depicts the news media in its true and natural color. I had personally once noticed that "Knee surgery for the PM" was the headline and "24 farmers commit suicide in a week" was under "News in brief" section. Some news channel report every news item as "Breaking news". Basically, they magnify, marginalize and sometimes distort any news depending upon who controls them. Everyone has vested interests.

All news channels have just one objective. Drive up their rankings. To do that, they will go to any extent.

The movie also depicts politicians in their true color. It is a known fact that they will do anything to win the elections. Well, you cant expect anything else from them because 99% of them are high class thugs.

The movie is not meant for the average Indian who expects the formula (1 hero + 1 heroine + villains + 4 love songs + i item girl song + 4 fight scenes) I loved the language used in the film. It is the way a farmer would speak. No fancy monologues (usually referred to as dialogues). There are a few bad words and I wonder what the impact will be if those are removed.

I strongly recommend this movie because the situations are quite funny and at times you will laugh like crazy.

So go ahead and enjoy!

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