One Line Review: Peepli Live shows the blunt reality of media and poverty in some places of India with satire and parody in the plot.

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Youtube Trailer Peepli Live

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Starring: Onkar Das Manikpuri, Raghubir Yadav, Shalini Vasta

Director: Anusha Rizvi

Release Date: 13 August 2010

Introduction

There are very few films that dare to go against the system and show the truth. Uh! Let me correct myself. There were a few films that dared to go against the system. Today no one has the audacity to even think about it. Pity.

Peepli Live is one of those films that stood with the masses. Showing the struggle of poor farmers and their hazardous choice to commit Su*cide. Let’s talk about it…

Iconic dialogues from this movie

Deepak: if 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 feces, commonly known as shit. Take a close look. Psychiatrists claim that feces reflect our mental state. Therefore, before reaching any conclusions we need to bring in experts as Mr. Natha was no ordinary man. For Bharat Live this is Kumar Deepak, live from Peepli.

Critic Reviews

“Drawing on India’s rural-versus-urban divide, Rizvi spins a dynamic, enjoyably-acted yarn that balances farcical humor with a satisfying seriousness.” Tom Dawson

Plot Summary

Natha, a poor farmer, is left with no other choice than to commit Su*cide because that way his family might get a good compensation out of the government treasury. The story gets the media attention but I wrong way. The media bashes Natha for his cowardness and plan to earn compensation. On other hand, politicians are worried about their image as the story leaks out.

Sharp Direction

Anusha Rizwi handled her directorial debut like a professional. The jargon is simple, and a lot of the humor comes from the way the characters speak. Anusha spared no effort to make fun of politicians who were eager to vote. The current department is led by Omkar Das and Vishal Sharma. The expression given by the first one makes his character very cute, and the dialogue with the second one is very interesting. Raghuveer Yadav performed his role in an impressive way! As a journalist with an awakened conscience, Navazuddin is an exception. Shankar Raman’s photographs are very impactful. Indian Ocean music is very good.

The director’s style is sharp and powerful. Although the director cannot convey the message, he is loyal to the story and leaves no message. This film explores the media’s reaction. Many scenes in the film imitate the Internet and television, media, and politics. Natural and simple storytelling will take you back to the past when only good movies were made. The farmer issue is a regular theme in Malayalam movies, but after 2000, this is the best farmer movie in India.

Thought-Provoking Story

The film’s low budget and starless lineup may not attract audiences’ attention, but in terms of its story, its witty and thought-provoking story satirizes the media. This movie is very effective in portraying how the media sell their stereotypes and hide the real truth, only to increase what they call TRP. Similarly, this film also satirizes the government and politicians, who use loopholes in the rules to secure their status and poke fun at civilians. Raghuvir Yadav is a famous artist, or at least that’s the authenticity of this movie.

Other actors you’ve never heard of, Omkar Das and Shalini, also did a good job portraying a very rural village in Madhya Pradesh. Although the film is slow-paced and portrays very backward communities, the film presents the true background of the country by briefly presenting the government’s policies on poverty and its reality, which is commendable. The theme of this movie is simple, but thought-provoking. As India shifts to an industrialized economy, farmers commit su*cide. Selfish politicians at all levels of government have been unwilling or unable to do anything about it. Although the movie may seem like a parody of peasant su*cide, it ultimately conveys more content and presents some shocking facts.

Conclusion

Thanks to Amir Khan for producing it and making this film possible. We’re looking for similar movies that can dare to expose the media and the government catastrophe in today’s world.