Peepli Live

Once again its proven, Perfectionist IS a synonym for Amir Khan. He has this sharp sense, which is highly visible in all the movies made by him as ... read more

Once again its proven, Perfectionist IS a synonym for Amir Khan. He has this sharp sense, which is highly visible in all the movies made by him as well as done by him. PEEPLI Live is yet another masterpiece given by Amir Khan to the nation.

Movie is all about real India, which remains undercover for us due to our fast paced life. Actual India still exists in villages located in the backward areas, where a common man does farming to earn his bread n butter. It shows how he has to struggle for almost everything like water, food, work, electricity and even existence. Not only this, Amir Khan and production has more in store for us but with a punch of humor.

Peepli, a small village located in remote areas of our country brings us face to face with what you read above. Its a story about two farmer brothers Natha (Omkar Das) and Budhia (Raghubir Yadav), who are living in miserable conditions .They are in such a plight that they have to mortgage their only land for the treatment of their mother. Their never-ending struggle forces them to come up with an idea, which according to them can solve some of their crisis. One day they come to know that government has started this scheme in which if a farmer suicides because of his debts, his family gets compensation of 1 Lakh. In order get eligible for this scheme, they get into an argument of who is gonna suicide and it was concluded that Natha will be the cobaye.

This event marks the beginning of new set of troubles for Natha. The news spreads like running rampant viral even before it can get executed. Peepli, which was once an unidentified hamlet was all over the news channels with Nathas every bit of life being recorded. In the race of being the first channel to cover the news so as to earn more TRPs journalists encroach straight in his house to record every other thing. How we can we forget about our greedy politicians, who can go to any extent to top-up their vote-banks. Not only reporters and politicians thought about themselves, agricultural ministry was always ready with one statement "We havent got any orders from high-court yet". Every minister was trying to blame the opposition in hunger to win the upcoming elections. One gifted Natha a hand-pump (Lal Bahadur) and other a color television. Just with one decision i.e. to suicide, Natha became a TV star overnight.

Though the story sounds emotional but it has been so smartly screened that without causing any offence or making audience shed any tears, it will convey its message. Its a fun watch and dont forget to look out for Farrukh Jaffer(Nathas mother), who performed her bit brilliantly. Folk tunes as well as compositions by Nazeer Tanvi, Indian Ocean and others worked just right. Its lively and hilarious script deserves a special mention.

In the end, I will say its been refreshing to face the reality with Peepli Live!!!
view less

Aamir Khan!! The name in itself is synonym with magnality in any of the endeavors he is associated with. He has showcased his multi-dimensional act... read more

Aamir Khan!! The name in itself is synonym with magnality in any of the endeavors he is associated with. He has showcased his multi-dimensional acting prowess over the period of two decades. The midas touch continued with film-making as well, where he is yet to taste a defeat. Pessimists and self-proclaimed critics were 'hoping against hope' that PEEPLI would fail to re-LIVE the Khan-magic.

Peepli [LIVE] is a satirical work, sans any big-wigs of the trade; its inspired from real life incidences and is presented in an engrossing manner. It is an anecdote not only on poverty-ridden farmers suicide but also makes pot-shots on other prevalent issues. Medias frequent overboard-ism is shown in most sarcastic way possible; common men fed on the diet of these TRPs starved news channels, could easily relate to their "Making Mountain out of Molehill" buffooneries. What also works for Peepli-Live is its authenticity; the locales, the casts, their linguistic mannerisms all look perfectly surreal. For this same reason, even the sporadic expletives used, look natural and amalgamate well with the plot-execution. Peepli [LIVE] also burlesques at Governments tall but hollow claims and presents an eye-opener about the so-called 'Yojna' and poverty-removal policies. Kudos to debutant director Anusha Rizvi for gifting 'Peepli LIVE' to coming-of-age Bollywood.

Aamir Khan has the final say in whichever product he is associated with; so the possibility of him involved in the final-editing could not be denied. The songs were cut-short so as to make the proceedings pacey; background score make-up for the loss of songs and presents the mood of the spoof in an effective manner. Raghubir Yadav is a proven character artist and does full justice to his pivotal and opportunist role. Omkar Das Manikpuri plays the role of Natha and deserves all the accolades for stepping into a protagonists shoes without any discomfort. Shalini Vatsa, as Nathas wife and Farukh Jaffer as his mother, were just outstanding. Their verbal altercation is unbelievably real; one might get a feeling that they are not actors but a typical village Saas-Bahu Jodi. Three journalists (aka reporters) played by Malaika Shenoy (English Channel), Vishal Sharma (Hindi Samachar) and Nawazuddin Siddiqui (local Patr-kaar) enacts three poles apart of a same profession and conveys the message with ridiculous ease.

Maverick Verdict: Peepli [LIVE] is a must watch for the moviegoers who believes in pathbreaking cinema where bitter message is conveyed with the sweet coating of humor. True, there is no immediate and full-proof solution of the concerned issue and the movie, quite appropriately, stays away from any kind of preaching and undue conclusion. This caricature of a farmers attempted suicide deserves a dekko for its entertainment quotient and if possible, a food of thought for such trivial-looking issues which works like parasites in our countrys progress. Amidst all this, let us pray for Indian Farmers; if they are contented, we all would STAY IN PEACE for sure. PERIOD !!!!
view less

Trust Aamir Khan to bring to us a film that reiterates all that we know, but conveniently tend to forget. And trust him to first make us laugh, and... read more

Trust Aamir Khan to bring to us a film that reiterates all that we know, but conveniently tend to forget. And trust him to first make us laugh, and then bow our heads in shame at our sadistic mentality.

This film is a stark reflection of society, in all its various hues and shades. Be it the shrewd cunningness of Budhia, the nonchalant but helpless Nathha, the crass TV Reporter (this incredulous guy even does a cover story on poop :-D), or the opportunity seeking politician, Peepli [Live] is a social satire that makes you feel cheated - we went to be entertained, but were shown our own ugly face. Serves us right.

Nattha (Omkar Das) and Budhia (Raghubir Yadav) are two brothers who are on the verge of losing their land to the bank as they were unable to repay a loan. After going to every nook and cranny asking for help, their local politician tells them to commit suicide (in order to take advantage of the Govt. Relief fund) in jest. They find out a bit more, and when convinced that there actually is some monetary relief provided to the family of a deceased farmer, Nattha becomes the unwilling scapegoat.

News spreads like fire, attracting newspapers at first, followed by national news channels who quickly occupy prime space (and primetime eyeballs) outside Nathha's house, much to the chagrin of local politicians and policemen, who are now responsible for his security and wellbeing. What follows is the typical chain of events as we have already been witness to innumerable times courtesy our desi news channels.

Peepli talks to the audience on so many levels, that it is easy to overlook some. The story of Hori Mahato, the other 'gareeb kisaan' signifies that one man's change of fortune does not make life any easier for his immediate neighbours. The transformation of Rakesh can be a story in itself, while Nathha's belligerent wife actually signifies the despair of the lakhs of women in our villages. A delightful scene is when Nattha falls down on cowdung, and gets up smiling. If only we could have left him on his own...

This rustic village created by debutante Rizvi surely stirs up a few nests. It only depends on us how long we can sustain the feeling - perhaps, at most, till next Friday.

Mandatory viewing !

PS - Couldnt help appreciate an irony - Previously we used to go to theatres in villages to gush at the glittering metros and United States of Everywhere, while now we go to multiplexes to get a glimpse of rural India, right there in our backyard. The director makes it convenient for us, though - we are quickly sent back to Delhi in the last frame, ensuring that we are safe and sound in the plush comfort of our home, far, far away from Peepli.

view less

Making a satire about a serious issue and to pull it off commercially is a combination which could have either been made in heaven or in an Aamir K... read more

Making a satire about a serious issue and to pull it off commercially is a combination which could have either been made in heaven or in an Aamir Khan production. The bitter truth about the situation of farmers in several Peepli like villages in India is portrayed via dark sarcasm. At every hilarious scene in the movie when I let out a guffaw, a sense of guilt crept upon me at the same time.

News spreads in the village of Peepli that if a farmer commits suicide he will reap benefits from the Government. Nattha is talked into committing suicide by his elder conniving brother. As a result the entire village turns into a media circus which is interested in capturing Nattha's smallest move on tape. A farmer's conundrum is shown as they become mere pawns in the politicians game of chess.

The last satire on a serious issue which made such an impact on me was probably Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. There are some genuinely hilarious moments in the film making the movie an enjoyable experience to watch. At the same time it does leave a thought provoking impact on the viewer.

The music by Indian Ocean is apt for the movie and works well with the flow of the movie.

Every actor in the movie is at par excellence. Omkar who plays Nattha is absolutely brilliant. So is Raghuveer Yadav (better known as Mungeri Lal). Nattha plays his 'lallu' character with utmost perfection and brilliant expressions. Another performance which shines through the ensemble cast is that of Shalini Vatsa playing Nattha's wife.

Anusha Rizvi creates an illusion that she is a veteran in story telling. The truth being she has not even attended a film school and this is her first film ever. A brilliant debut unlike her counterpart of the other release this week. Top notch direction and screenplay.

A special mention for Aamir Khan whose inhuman marketing skills have helped this film tremendously. A similar brilliant movie by the name of "Well Done Abba" made not so long back lost out due to inept marketing.

Verdict: Don't miss this one. view less

Ketan Mehta attempted it with Hero Hiralal in 1988, Tinnu Anand tried with Main Aazad Hoon in 1989, and Aziz Mirza experimented with Phir Bhi Dil H... read more

Ketan Mehta attempted it with Hero Hiralal in 1988, Tinnu Anand tried with Main Aazad Hoon in 1989, and Aziz Mirza experimented with Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani in 2000. Now Anusha Rizvi does it with Peepli Live. All these films are a satire on media and involve the common man to give out a deeper message in the garb of humor. Where Anusha succeeds and the others failed is she has cast an absolutely new face whereas the rest had Naseeruddin Shah, Amitabh Bachchan & Paresh Rawal playing the common man. As a director & screenplay writer she is not up to the mark but as a first time filmmaker not trained in Cinema, her work is praiseworthy.

There is something about cuss words in cinema that makes people laugh their guts out and most of the time in Peepli the laughs are not because of the scenes but for the cuss words & the language which the characters use. The first half is a breeze but the film goes wrong where most of the films go wrong - that is the second half. After a point instead of the story moving forward all we see are bytes after bytes of almost all the characters in the film. The only character that truly entertains is Amma. Her performance is so real that at times you forget that she is an actor performing a role. The film also belongs to Mahmood Farooqui for his impeccable casting. Omkar Das as Natha is so vulnerable and fragile that I wonder how Aamir would have been able to pull off this role. He performs mostly with his body language and his eyes.

We live in times where we are deprived of good cinema and out of the mediocre thrash which comes out every week we have to choose our Gold. In that respect yes, Peepli Live is a cut above the rest but on its own its a good attempt but not excellent cinema. It didnt move me. The only character which moved me was that old man digging his own grave and to an extent the character of Rakesh. In the end, Natha mara ya jeeya isse mujhe kuch fark nahi padha. As I left the theatre my thoughts were about the old man because for me he represented the millions of farmers who leave their villages and come to the city and the music especially Chola Mati ke Ram.

Final Few Words: Watch it because Fridays like these are very rare in Bollywood.

Rating: ** (doesnt live up to expectations)

Ticket Meter: Rs 150/- (worth the money)
view less