Vidrabha Jan Andolan Samiti Demands Ban on ‘Peepli Live’...

By Abhishek Joshi :

Nagpur -Saturday, 14 August, 2010,

Some restrain and sensitivity to issues should be manifested in articulating art forms – Peepli Live, is one example. Satire loses its edge to causes of farmer suicides….if people are left laughing and amused with distorted facts, than left thinking for reasons and plagued miseries of giving up on life !

Report:

Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS) , farmers advocacy group in vidarbha ,the epicenter of Indian ‘Agrarian crisis’ which has claimed 2,00,000 farmers suicides in last decade and Maharashtra western region which is termed as dying field of cotton farmers where more than 40,000 farmers committed suicides has objected the basic theme and script of film Peepli Live produced by a mainstream filmmaker Aamir Khan and Directed by Anusha Rizvi that the ‘farmer is committing suicide for compensation’ , released yesterday and urged Maharashtra Govt. to ban it’s screening immediately as it is hurting sentiments of 8 millions of distressed and debt trapped farmers of Maharashtra who are being forced to commit suicide due to wrong policies of Indian Government .

Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS) president Kishor Tiwari has written letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan urging him to ban the screening of movie and appoint agrarian experts to look in to objections of the farm activist as the massage of the film is taking farm suicide in to very damaging turn and diverting from the basic issues and reasons of agrarian crisis and further filming of the movie will create law and order problem in state ,tiwari added in the letter.

‘Initially TV serial ‘Bairi Piya’ has shown that debt trapped vidrabha farmers are selling daughters for clearing the debt now Peepli Live movie has shown 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 has got a quick fix to the problem is the very same government’s program that aids the families of indebted farmers who have committed suicide and as a means of survival Farmer Natha can choose to die and futher shown that His brother is happy to push him towards this unique ‘honour’ of suicide but Natha is reluctant ,this is totally untrue too much twisted from the ground reality and insult of poor millions of dying farmers of vidarbha who are the victims of globalization and wrong policies of the state hence we are disturbed .

VJAS respect social commitment of Amir Khan and other part of movie exposing the reality behind media houses, politicians, bureaucrats and their apathetic approach towards problems and shocking truth that India promotes itself as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but the film shows the miserable condition of farmers who continue to end their lives after living in extreme poverty but he should have consulted rural crisis expert before finalizing script that our objection ’Tiwari said

‘Peepli Live has made big question mark to 1,60,000 farm widows who are demanding compensation after their bread earner farmer committee suicide due to debt and crop failure as this movie shows that vidarbha cotton farmers are committing suicides for getting aid where as Govt. of Maharashtra has rejected more than 90% cases of farm suicides without even visiting house of dying family members of debt trapped farmer more Peepli Live will give strong support to politicians, bureaucrats and their apathetic approach towards problems that farmers are not forced to kill themselves where as they themselves killing for compensation hence we demand the ban of the film and cancellation censorship certificate to the film’ Tiwari urged.