Peepli [Live]: A Social Satire on Contemporary India

Films may be regarded as a powerful medium of expression that convey information on the history, civilization, philosophy, politics, education and religion of a given culture. Over decades, societal and environmental factors have been a major source of creative inspiration\ud for filmmakers in India. Accordingly, contemporary Indian films have incorporated themes relevant to today’s times such as individual conflicts, societal hierarchy, corrupt bureaucracy, commercialization of religion, politics, educational systems, mental disorders, and terrorism\ud among others. A powerful example of this is obtained in the film Peepli [Live] (2010) which is believed to have been produced as a response to a spate of farmer suicides that took place in India since the 1990s. It is the story of a farmer who considers committing suicide so that his \ud family can benefit from the compensation offered by the government. The film also raises other related issues such as the general apathy of political leaders and the insensitivity of the media towards impoverished farmers. Peepli [Live] uses black humor to introduce \ud these issues and leaves the audience with pertinent questions about current socio-political systems and the uncertainties about the nation’s future. Accordingly, the present study is devoted towards examining Peepli [Live] which remains significantly under-researched by scholars of Indian cinema. This thesis focuses on the description of three themes that have been presented in the film, namely, black humor, media and sensationalism; and gender subversion. This is achieved by drawing attention to particular elements in the film such as the background, storyline, characters,and conflicts. It is expected that this will help understand how the film was successful in highlighting rural India’s lived reality and why it has \ud garnered tremendous national and international acclaim