BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

STARRING: Omkar Das Manikpuri, Raghubir Yadav, Malaika Shenoy, Shalini Vatsa, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Farukh Jaffer, Vishal O Sharma and others.
DIRECTION: Anusha Rizvi, Mahmood Farooqui

Organic, raw and simply pragmatic in its approach Peepli Live transports us to the heartland of real India, the fictitious Peepli, where farmers and their families fight to survive. Yes, the places and characters are made up but the story is as real as it gets. Hard hitting, yet so light in her narrative, Anusha Rizvi steps into the director’s chair for the first time zooming into parts and people of India that seem to have lost focus by the main stream media or politicians who only sympathize when it is most convenient or absolutely required to meet their own selfish needs, be it TRPs or vote banks. Her brilliance shines through more in dealing with a grave subject such as farmer’s suicide with absolute refrain from self-righteousness and blending in just the right amount of humor at regular intervals. Like all movies associated with Aamir Khan, the man with the Midas touch as Salman describes him, the story stays true to its intentions while making it appealing to audience of all genres. 

On the eve of national elections, Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri) and his elder brother, Budhia (Raghuvir Yadav), residents of an insipid town Peepli are on the brink of losing their family land to the bank, unable to repay the loan. In a desperate attempt to retain their land, the brothers seriously consider a government program that hands out money to families of indebted deceased farmers. This they learn from a local henchman whose ring tone goes “Pappu can’t dance saala”. The crafty Budhia pushes Natha into making the fateful decision of taking his own life. A local reporter Rakesh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who overhears their conversation runs the story, opening a pandora’s box. Natha opens his eyes in confusion and daze to a camera in his face with reporter Nandita (Malaika Shenoy) telling him not be afraid of it. Little does he know that the very camera would change his life forever. The media frenzy takes over Peepli with reporters camped right outside Natha’s house tracking his every move. Cold drink kiosks, tea stalls and a Mela is set up around Natha and Budhia’s house even as Natha is unsure of his own decision. One of the most poignant scenes of the movie is the nervous smile that briefly graces Natha’s face when a politician declares “Natha nahin Marega” (Natha will not die).

Meanwhile Natha’s mother (Farrukh Jaffer) and his wife Dhaniya (Shalini Vatsa) are at constant war with each other while his son urges him to go ahead with the suicide so he can fulfill his dream of becoming a policeman. Election around the corner, politicians dig deep into government schemes that can prevent Natha from committing suicide. A ‘Lal Bahadur’ is sent to Natha without even the necessary fittings to set it up while a Dalit leader offers a television set both of which take up space in an already tiny house the family lives in. Reporters analyze everything including Natha’s feces to determine his state of mind constantly posing the question of whether or not Natha will commit suicide. Everyone wants to know, no one seems to care. The cold attitude is perhaps best put forward by the Agriculture secretary’s indifferent response “we have to wait for the court’s order”.

Anusha collates all culprits including the mindset of people as a whole, which seems to have digressed rapidly, where humanity and empathy are merely words having lost their meaning. TV shows flash breaking news with a detached monotone devoid of any concern, politicians get away with everything by simply glossing over the real issues and as citizens we let them get away with it. No one shoulders any responsibility. One reporter points out that some percentage of people even hold America responsible for Natha’s fate; it is all about passing the buck and making your self look good. The movie does focus on farmer’s suicide, but this could have been any other problem and we would end up with the same end result. 

Omkar Das as Natha is first rate. Raghubir Yadav as the opportunist Budhia is all natural. Shalini Vatsa as Natha's wife and Farrukh Jaffer as Natha's bed-ridden mother are adorable even at their screaming best. Malaika Shenoy as the English television reporter Nandita is outstanding. Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Rakesh, Vishal Sharma as Kumar Deepak, the rival hindi journalist are top notch. Naseeruddin Shah was made for his role of the shrewd politician. Music, credited to multiple artists is folksy and the popular ‘Mehangayee Daayan’ is absolutely delightful.

Take a bow, Anusha and Aamir. Peepli Live is all heart and warm in its renderence. The fluffy humor never overrides the underlying seriousness of the situation. So even as we laugh our hearts out at the Natha’s predicament, a sense of guilt pricks you right where it hurts, as it should. This sassy satire is a must watch for so many reasons, it is simply hard to list.