Peepli [Live]

Unable to pay off the bank’s loan Budhia (Raghuvir Yadav) and Natha (Omkar Das Manikuri) stand to lose their ancestral land. Like millions of farmers across India they have no one to turn to and when they seek help from, Bhai Thakur (Sitaram Panchal), the local MLA, they are that the only way the government can help them is if they were to commit suicide. Burdened by just about everything in sight Budhia, a single man, decides to end his life but Natha won’t have any of it. The two brothers fight it out and ultimately Natha decides to end his life. They celebrate their last few troubled days and Rakesh (Nowaz), a local journalist, ends up overhearing an inebriated Natha’s plan. Miffed with his editor for not treating him well, Rakesh prints Natha’s story sets off a chain of events. The story spreads like a wildfire and every news channel in the nation descends upon the sleepy village of Peepli to capture the first farmer suicide on camera. A simpleton, Natha is unable to fathom the gravity of the situation and soon his life becomes a circus where every one- the local MLA, the state’s Chief Minister, the IAS machinery, the Agriculture Minster and even his own family starts playing him. Natha’s straightforward dream to free his family from the hardships ends up becoming a nightmare that sucks the life out of him.

Simply put Anusha Rizvi’s Peepli [Live] is a very well executed film that not only manages to address a serious political and social issue that has plagued India for some years now but also tells a compelling story. One of the reasons why Peeli [Live] works is the fact that it is written and directed by someone who is far removed from the escapist world of Mumabi filmmaking. Rizvi’s strong political identity administers a script that is deeply rooted in present times and yet never really takes over the narrative of the film.

The film might be about the plight of the poor Indian farmer who has been abandoned by everyone but it rises above the basic premise and makes a bold statement about the sorry state of the manner in which this nation has been functioning. From planning a story just for TRP, politicians out maneuvering each other to remain ahead, the administrative services becoming a lapdog of those in power, the callousness of journalists in their bid to break a story, Peepli [Live] talks about how the common citizens are being hoodwinked at every step of their existence. The scenes where the Block Development Officer tells the powers be that there isn’t a single scheme to help a distressed farmer who is still alive sums up the system’s apparent lack of empathy.

Replete with black humor Peepli [Live] might just the likes of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron as far as satire in popular Hindi cinema goes. More importantly by managing to bring forth a serious issue without being overtly heavy and yet not sugarcoat the proceedings like a Munnabhai Part 2 or 3 Idiots, Peepli [Live] manages to achieve some thing that most ‘issue’ based commercial films lack.

The first half of Peepli [Live] is really taut and barring the song Mehangai Dayan, which is almost like an interlude, nothing is out of place. Rizvi gets a very gripping performance from her lead Omkar Das Manikpuri and the veteran Raghuvir Yadav, whose camaraderie with Manikpuri forms the backbone of the film. Most of the actors are from the late theatre legend Habib Tanvir’s group Naya Theatre and their excellent casting provides Peepli [Live] a very real and untreated feel. Rizvi’s dialogues provide all the actors especially Natha’s nagging wife Dhaniya (Shalini Vatsa) and his bedridden beedi puffin mother (Farrukh Jaffar) the true fabric to don. Additionally Vishal Sharma and Malaika Shenoy, who play the leading news reporters, get their nuances bang on. Sharma deserves a special mention for fitting well into the know-all-truth-be-danmed sensationalism laden misogynist Deepak. Naseeruddin Shah as the suave minister Salim Kidwai, who says the right thing at the right place is a treat.

Throughout the film Rizvi uses Hori Mahato, a frail farmer who keeps digging the dry earth for reasons no one knows, as the motif of the wounded farmer. The sight of Mahto is strong enough to rattle one’s senses and draws the attention towards the core issue of the film but for a long part she decides to leave things unexplained. Towards the end of the film, Rakesh, the journalist who sets the balling rolling, is moved beyond repair by Mahto’s death and wants to do some thing but is ticked off by Nandita, who like the state sees nothing new or out of the ordinary about his death. To some the ending of Peepli [Live] might seem weak and even unconvincing but the truth of the matter is this film isn’t like a television debate that promises to provide a solution by the end of the program.

Image: Bolly Curry