'Peepli Live'

By Natasha Chaku

The Midas Khan is back and how! Meeting expectations with a bone-crushing handshake is Aamir Khan Productions' latest movie, 'Peepli Live', which is to be released in India on August 13. Bound "to change the Bollywood landscape forever", this small and beautiful movie has already won over the few privileged Australian NRIs, who were fortunate enough to walk up to the Melbourne promo show.

In obeisance to the Aamir Khan tradition of mixing meaningfulness with masala, 'Peepli Live' marinates a serious social issue with a winning B.O. formula.

Anusha Rizvi's debut directorial tries to see the alarming rise in farmer suicides in such a way that the film would immediately fall into the best of the genre by the name, Tragicomedy. Slaps are reserved for the Indian media, bureaucracy and politicians, all along the narrative.

'Peepli Live'

'Peepli Live' shows the flip side of the "shining", industrialized India: a world where the loan-torn 'kissan' longs for something more than a comfort hug. Thus, we have the characters of Natha (who decides to commit suicide to save his land after knowing that the government pays Rs 100,000 to the kin of those farmers who commit suicide) and Budhia (Natha's brother who gives his nod to Natha's decision).

Natha's impending suicide becomes the "breaking news" for all the news channels, the OB vans of which swarm his hut to "cover" the event. LIVE!

What follows is a thoroughly enjoyable visual comment on desperation as well as degradation.

The movie features wonderful performances from the leading cast, which includes Naseeruddin Shah and Raghuvir Yadav. Albeit the fact that 'PL' has no saleable Bollywood stars on the cast, it is sure to ride, initially, on the might of AK. And once that is achieved, the movie is sure to talk for itself, for such is the conviction with which it has been made.

So, India has something to wait for. Finally!

About the Author: Natasha Chaku is a journalist based in Melbourne, Australia