A UTV Motion Pictures presentation of an Aamir Khan production. Produced by Khan, Kiran Rao. Executive producer, B. Shrinivas Rao. Co-producer, Ronnie Screwvala. Directed, written by Anusha Rizvi.
With: Omkar Das Manikpuri, Raghubir Yadav, Malaika Shenoy, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shalini Vatsa, Farrukh Jaffer, Vishal Sharma.
A peppy screwball comedy with elements of social satire, “Peepli Live” suggests a rural Indian take on Billy Wilder’s “Ace in the Hole.” A big carnival of media and politics swirls around farmer Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri) when he announces plans to kill himself, the poor man hoping his surviving family members will collect compensation as part of the government’s “suicide program.” But Natha, natch, is in no hurry to fulfill his part of the bargain. Whether or not India’s first-ever Sundance entry can capitalize on the international success of “Slumdog Millionaire,” it deserves a long life in distribution.








