Movie Reviews : Peepli Live

 The Hindi satirical comedy-drama film Peepli Live, directed by Anusha

Rizvi and produced by Aamir Khan Productions, was released on 13

August 2010. With a running time of 109 minutes, this film explores the

struggles of rural farmers in India through humor and satire. The film

features cinematography by Shanker Raman, editing by Hemanti Sarkar,

and music by the folk-rock band Indian Ocean. Known for its realistic

storytelling and sharp social commentary, Peepli Live became both

critically acclaimed and commercially successful.

Plot

Peepli live is a satirical film that deals with the issue of farmer suicides in

India and how the media, politicians, and society exploit such tragedies.

The story begins with Natha and his brother Buddhiya, to poor framers

from the village of Peepli in Madhya Pradesh, who are about to lose there

land because they cannot repay their lone money. Desperate, Buddhiya

suggests that Natha commit suicide, since the government compensates

the families of farmer who killed themselves.

When the local media hears this, the story becomes national news.

Politicians, bureaucrats,journalist, and activists all rush to Peepli to cover

Natha’s possible suicide, but nobody genuinely cares about his poverty or

struggles. The movie ends tragically, showing how the real issue of rural

village where one want to die to fulfilled his family desire and other side

of coin people enjoy his death and make give there own personal opinion .

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

● Realistic portrayal of rural India and farmer struggles

● Satirical humor that criticizes media sensationalism and political

hypocrisy.

● Strong performances by lesser known actors, making the film feel

authentic.

● Cultural depth dialect, songs,and village life shown truthfully

Weaknesses

● The pace is slow at times, which may bore some viewers.

● The ending feels abrupt, leaving some question on unanswered.

● The focus shifts too much towards media drama, slightly sidelining

the emotional pain of the farmers.

Character and Roles

● Natha Das Manikpuri( Omkar Das Manikpuri)

A poor farmer who becomes the unwilling center of national media

attention .

● Buddhiya (Raghubir Yadav)

Natha’s elder brother, who pushes him to commit suicide for

compensation.

● Dharti ( Shalini Vatsa)

Wife of Natha, practical and frustrated by her family’s poverty.

● Amma ( Farrukh Jaffar)

The old mother of Natha and Buddhyia, sharp tongued but powerless.

● Rakesh ( Nawazuddein Siddiqui)

A small time local journalist who first reports the story.

● Nandita Malik( Malaika Shenoy )

A sophisticated TV journalist who represents the elite big city media.

● Deepak( Vishal Sharma )

A young TV reporter chasing sensational news for his channel.

Political Leader

● Different Politician

who try to used Natha’s story for their benefit.

Best Role

Natha : His simplicity and helplessness make him the soul of the film.

Weakest Role

Some minor politicians and media crew members, they felt one dimensional and over exaggerated.

Music and Sound

The music is composed by Indian Ocean, a famous Indian fusion rock

band .Songs are folk based with rustic instruments like dholak,

harmonium, and tabala with modern sound. Background score uses village

sound like crowds, cows, fields, and radio make it feel very natural.

The music reflects Indian rural folk culture rather than Bollywood

glamour.

Overall Impression

Peepli live is not just entertainment, it is a hard hitting satire that exposes

how the suffering of poor farmers is turned into a breaking news for TRPs.

It highlights the gap between rural India and urban India, and how media

and politics often exploit poverty instead of solving there problem.

Conclusion

The movie teach us, poverty and farmers suicides are serious issues, not

stories to be sensationalized. Media has a responsibility to report truth, not

just chase popularity. Politicians often exploit tragedy for their own

interests. As citizens, we should show empathy and awareness instead of

treating rural distress as entertainment.

Human lives should never be reduced to just headlines. Real problem require real solutions.