Review of Peepli [Live]

Indian Cinema off late has matured and produces a treat now and then. I would reckon this one was not an out of the league project of Aamir Khan but certainly an earnest effort, given that the director is on debut. The film portrays the bitter truth of rural India, mocks the Indian media and gives a tight slap on the political system and bureaucracy. I went to watch the film with the notion that the film belongs to the comedy genre, but it did not take much time for me to realize it was satire, it was pure dark humor and felt pity for all those ignorant souls in the cinema hall who are just so far away, so disconnected from real India that they could afford to laugh on such irony. It sure would have been a wakeup call for those ignorant souls if they understood the hidden satire, carefully wrapped in humor. God save those who came to watch a comic movie and went out of the hall smiling and mocking the plight of Nathu Ram. As far as acting is concerned, Onkar Das has done a very good job, despite the fact that he gets less chance to showcase his dialog delivery yet he has conveyed director's idea marvelously using his expressions. I believe he has surpassed Raghubir Yadav, who has yet again proved the point that he is still among the best in the business. One liners and abusive lashes of Nathu Ram's mother give you some respite from the serious note of the movie. Though the cast had no star power except Naseeruddin Shah and the director was a débutant, Hats Off to Aamir for delivering yet another Thought Provoking and intriguing gem. The movie succeeds in informing the ignorant urban population, population which believes India is prospering, about the truth of real India. Face the reality dude, time to wake up. A definite one time watch.