PEEPLI LIVE

Peepli Live is an upcoming Bollywood film which is produced by Aamir Khan. Directed and written by Anusha Rizvi in her first directorial venture, the film stars Naya Theatre company member Omkar Das Manikpuri as well as Raghubir Yadav, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Malaika Shenoy along with a number of newcomers. Peepli Live, distributed by UTV Motion Pictures is scheduled for release on August 13, 2010.

The casting director of the movie, Mahmood Farooqui who is also Anusha Rizvi’s husband looked in the most unlikely of the places so he could get authentic looking actors. In fact, authenticity was such an important factor that many a new faces will be seen in this movie, many of them belonging to the people of the village of Bhadwai in Madhya Pradesh, where the film was shot.

STORY

Natha a poor farmer from Peepli village in the heart of rural India is about to lose his plot of land due to an unpaid government loan. A quick fix to the problem is the very same government’s program that aids the families of indebted farmers who have committed suicide. As a means of survival Farmer Natha can choose to die!!! His brother is happy to push him towards this unique ‘honor’ but Natha is reluctant. Local elections are around the corner and what might’ve been another unnoticed event turns into a ‘cause celebré’ with everyone wanting a piece of the action. Political bigwigs, high-ranking bureaucrats, local henchmen and the ever-zealous media descend upon sleepy Peepli to stake their claim. The question on everyone’s lips - “Will he or Won’t he?” As the mania escalates what will be the fate of Farmer Natha; nobody seems to care how he really feels?

CAST

Omkar Das Manikpuri as Natha

Raghubir Yadav as Budhia

Malaika Shenoy as Nandita Mallik

Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Rakesh

Shalini Vatsa as Dhaniya

Farrukh Jaffer as Amma

Vishal O. Sharma as Kumar Deepak

Aamir Khan as Champ

Naseeruddin Shah as Agriculture Minister