Many Bollywood movies have been portraying the hunger of media houses for TRP as their primary content for a long time. But only a few sound and look as realistic as Peepli Live, a satire on the Indian farmers’ plight. It is a movie worth watching, especially when you are a journalism student or a journalist, since it sheds light on how media takes up a societal issue, the mad rush for breaking news, the over sensationalization of news, and how politics and politicians play around serious issues hovering over societies.
Image: IMDB
It is an overall depiction of the societies in developing and underdeveloped nations where agriculture, despite being the primary source of managing bread and butter, has been persistently ignored. And a delineation of farmers’ indefinite suffering.
Anusha Rizvi’s underrated 2010 film Peepli Live centers around Natha, played by Omkardas Manikpuri, an innocent farmer residing in the village of Peepli. He lives with his wife, a domineering woman; his bedridden and forever complaining mother; and his brother Budhia, played by Raghubir Yadav.
They had taken a loan with their land as collateral but were unable to pay it back. Natha and Budhia, when they reach a greedy local politician, hear about a scheme that pays one lakh if one of the family members commits suicide. Natha then vows to commit suicide.
But things take surprising turns when a local media outlet publishes news about his vow to commit suicide to help his family.
Smelling a great story, TV reporter Malaika Shenoy reaches Peepli, and soon, hordes of media enter Natha’s home, sparing no daily activities to shoot and picking out any event that sparks sensation. Since it was also a lead up to the elections, Natha’s story catches everyone’s attention—from the state politicians to the center. The ruling parties try to prevent suicide, while the opposition claims he will do so. Immersed in more dilemmas with time, Natha flees one day, never to be found.
The film presents both the bright and dark aspects of journalism. It portrays how journalism can make issues big enough so that the problems become visible to everyone. Contrastingly, it shows how journalists go to any extent for sensation, completely sidelining media ethics.
One of the strongest aspects of the film is the acting—all major characters get ample time to demonstrate their skill, which they do brilliantly. Not to forget Bollywood star Nawazuddin Siddiqi, who plays the role of a local journalist named Rakesh, who steals the show with his amazing act. The closeup shots reflecting the purest form of emotions of the actors are definitely something to applaud in the movie. Slightly slow in the beginning, the real thrill begins once Natha vows to commit suicide. And yes, the ending may look a little incomplete. But in a way, that looks to be the beauty of the movie.
Next, what I find interesting in the film is the portrayal of a woman dominating in a rural family, and that too, more than a decade ago. At a time when high budget, spicy movies were ruling the cinema industry in India, Peepli Live is an underrated, realistic movie, portraying the greatest problem of society in an appealing way. Worth watching!
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