Peepli Live Review – Variety

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17 | February 9, 2010 at 4:41 am | 266 views | NaachGaana Bol| Share

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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.

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There Are 17 Responses So Far. »

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
08:00:51 am

Looking forward to the response in Berlin for this..

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
08:31:23 am

In 2006, the state of Maharashtra, with 4,453 farmers’ suicides accounted for over a quarter of the all-India total of 17,060, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its report Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, 2006, totaling to ‘36,428 farmers’ suicides since 1995. According to another study by the Bureau, while the number of farm suicides increased since 2001, the number of farmers has fallen, as thousands abandoning agriculture in distress[8]. According to government data, over 5,000 farmers committed suicide in 2005-2009 in Maharashtra, while 1,313 cases reported by Andhra Pradesh between 2005 and 2007. In Karnataka the number stood at 1,003, since 2005-06 till August 2009. In the last four years, cases in Kerala were about 905, Gujarat 387, Punjab 75 and Tamil Nadu 26.[9].

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
08:32:54 am

Farmer suicides — Karnataka in top 5 states, says Sainath

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
08:34:32 am

More than 180,000 farmers committed suicide between 1997 and 2007, according to the Ministry of Home Affair’s National Crime Records Bureau.

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
08:37:27 am

Causes of Farmer Suicides
in Maharashtra: An Enquiry

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
08:42:13 am

ET: Orissa HC asks SHRC, Govt, CBI to file counters on farmers’ suicide

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
08:44:23 am

Nearly 2 lakh farm suicides since 1997

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
08:55:17 am

Farmer Suicides: Facts & Possible Policy interventions

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
08:59:29 am

THE New Year brought welcome news from the Maharashtra government when it announced its plan to invest Rs.2,000 crore in agriculture in the State. But the elation faded when it came to be known that the money would reach farmers in an indirect way, via agricultural infrastructure, and that it had been borrowed from three international agencies – the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). This is the largest ever loan taken by the State for agriculture.

Of the total amount, Rs.600 crore is from the IFAD, Rs.650 crore from the World Bank and Rs.750 crore from the ADB. The State has 25 to 35 years to pay back the money at different interest rates. Fifty per cent of the World Bank loan is to be paid back at 4.54 per cent interest and the remaining at 0.75 per cent. While the terms of the ADB loan are yet to be decided, the IFAD loan comes at 0.25 per cent interest. Each agency will concentrate on specific areas. The IFAD will work solely in the six suicide-affected districts of Vidarbha and concentrate on the convergence of agricultural intervention in which private companies will take on end-to-end projects, that is, they will be involved from the farm to the market. It is essentially an anti-poverty project.

The World Bank will work to introduce competition in markets. Dr S.K. Goel, Principal Secretary, Cooperation and Marketing, Government of Maharashtra, said this would ensure that Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) did not act as a monopoly, farmers would be provided with a multiplicity of marketing channels, and the corporate sector would also be a part of the process. The ADB will focus on agri-business infrastructure development.

All the agencies will coordinate with the Departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries. The projects are expected to be completed in about eight years. Goel explained that the ultimate aim was to address the three main areas of concern in agriculture today – adequate food production, greater access to markets for the produce, and good marketing options for growers.

But, getting to the core of the issue, Dr Ashok Dhawale, vice-president of the Maharashtra Kisan Sabha and State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said, “If resources had been properly mobilised in the last 50 years this loan would not have been required.”

His views are substantiated by a former State Planning Board member, who said: “To a great extent the announcement is an acceptance that the state has failed its farmers. I would like to look at the brighter side and say it is money coming in, but I fear that farmers may remain in the debt trap. How the government uses this loan and what strings these agencies will attach is to be seen.” Dhawale, who has worked with farmers and on agricultural issues for more than 15 years, said the most shocking aspect of the agricultural crisis was the suicide by farmers. “[Some] 40,000 farmers have died in Maharashtra – it is the highest in the country. Any such loan should tackle this. Farmers essentially need three things – remunerative prices for their produce, irrigation and subsidies.”

According to Goel, the goals formulated are in keeping with the aims of the agricultural reforms of 2006-07. But Dhawale differs. “Right from 1991, the policy has been skewed. It is borne out by the fact that the National Crime Records Bureau shows that in the decade from 1997 to 2007, about 1,82,000 farmers killed themselves. All the suicides started from 1995-96. This didn’t happen even during the British rule or in the first 40 years of Independence. This so-called reform is targeted at decimating farmers. SEZs [special economic zones] are a component of this ‘reform’. How is it agricultural reform if you take away land from farmers? It is nothing but the government shedding its responsibility,” he said.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/flin.....404000.htm

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
09:02:20 am

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
09:11:55 am

Farmers Suicide in Maharashtra
An Overview

ABOVE FROM: http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/.....ashtra.pdf

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
09:20:09 am

Monsanto Indian Farmer Suicide

exactly 9 February 2010
09:29:37 am

Not exactly an expert in this – but having lived most of my life in Rural area in MH in my childhood for long time – I saw atleast some HOPE in people there that time(in 90’s ppl used to say there thing like – “new government will come…things will change etc)…now when I visit the same places now- there is no hope…the young generation is involved in petty politics/hooliganism …it is ALL ABOUT MUMBAI AND PUNE now.. CITIES RULE INDIA – who cares about real India??? Personally I have no hope ..whichever party rules India..!

Ihab 9 February 2010
11:17:05 am

Good post but try and edit it out if you can.

Peepli Live seems to be a great movie. I have only read great comments about the movie till now. I think what we have here is a Dark Horse which can really be liked by people.

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
11:23:33 am

Sorry IHAB – I dont know wht u mean by editing a post..I posted related articles…thanks anyways for reading on

Raju Guide 9 February 2010
11:34:40 am

IHAB, I think this will steal the thunder from MNIK – not BO wise…but this is more concerned about REAL issue in India than in US