Absurd relationship between the government and the common man

 

'Peepli Live' is a poignant social satire, with some elements of a comedy about contemporary life in India - its greedy media, complex politics, and diverse population. Focussing on India's rural-versus-urban divide, Anusha Rizvi spins a dynamic, enjoyably-acted yarn that balances humour with a satisfying seriousness. Selfish media persons, smarty bureaucrats, local-level political goons and self-serving rulers, all of whom want a piece of a village where a farmer is about to kill himself so that his family can survive.

The movie doesn’t merely highlight the plight of the powerless peasant but weaves a reality around the issue of farmer suicide using the medium of press and politicians. “Zindagi ban gayi hai bell-bottom aur khudkushi ban gayi hai jeans pant” – rightly goes a line in the film which very aptly symbolizes the contemporary concern of the farmers in India. Surviving as a farmer has become a matter of the past just like the bell-bottom trousers while the rising rate of farmer suicides has become a current custom, like jeans pants.

Director Rizvi brings out the bureaucratic hypocrisy and media malice on our screens. It is media who exaggerate the issue and sensationalize it for TRP gains. We all must have witnessed this grave reality in the case of Sushant Singh Rajput, where the media went berserk just to hit the TRP charts.

The ongoing farmers’ protests in the country is a current example where we see how the government policies and the media can manipulate the common man. They are the middle man between the government and the common man.Under media pressure and with elections round the corner, more politicians get drawn in the matter with the center throwing the blame on state government and vice versa. As a result, the poor and marginalised become the scapegoat for the media and political parties, all of whom exploit the poor for their own benefit, with none concerned to solve their misery.

In the film's final scene, we see Natha (the protagonist) covered in grime in a big city construction site, having lost the battle for dignity. Many farmers are forced to leave farming and come to the urban cities to find different jobs. Unfortunately, innumerable farmers in India are reported to commit suicide, most reasons being, the deliberate poor living conditions and to be not able to achieve a decent lifestyle due to the government’s negligence. Of the suicides committed in the country, 11.2% account for farmer suicides.

Low quality education, vote-bank politics, out-of-sync bureaucracy and TRP-lusting media and the government’s negligence towards the marginalised and their real problems and real solutions, are the reason behind the absurdity in the relationship between the government and the common man.