An impoverished farmer's threat to end his life invites attention from politicians and media.
In the lead up to state elections in the Indian village of Peepli, two poor farmers, Natha and Budhia, face losing their land over an unpaid bank loan. Desperate, they seek help from an apathetic local politician, who scornfully suggests they commit suicide to benefit from a government program that aids the families of indebted deceased farmers. When a journalist overhears Budhia urge Natha to "do what needs to be done" for the sake of their families, a media frenzy ignites around whether or not Natha will commit suicide.—Sundance Film Festival
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?—AKP Official Website
Nathadas Manikpuri lives an impoverished life in Peepli, Mukhya Pradesh, along with his brother, Budhia; aged mother; wife, Dhaniya, and two young sons. He had taken a loan from a bank, and upon being unable to re-pay it, is now being faced with not only losing the land but also homelessness. He accompanies Budhia to meet with the local politician, Bhai Thakur, who mocks them and tells him to commit suicide as this will ensure his family gets Rs.One Lakh from a special government program. With reports of monies being disbursed to other farmers who had killed themselves all over India, Nathadas makes it known to everyone in the village, and the news leaks out to the media - who descend with all force on the beleaguered family, turning Peepli, that has never seen any progress for over 60 years, into a Mela. Bhai Thakur has the police involved, and even has his goons beat up Nathadas and Budhia, while the District Collector and the Chief Minister present Nathadas with a water pump and a color TV respectively and hope that the Ministry of Agriculture comes with a solution. Amidst media frenzy, Nathadas and his family find their movement curtailed, and he disappears one day - leaving the media to speculate whether it was a conspiracy of Central or State governments; Islamic terrorists; or the Americans.—rAjOo ([email protected])
Natha Das ManikPuri, better known as Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri), is a poor farmer from the village of Peepli in Mukhya Pradesh, who struggles to farm enough money for his family made up of his elder brother, Budhia Das Manikpuri (Raghubir Yadav), his wife, Dhaniya (Shalini Vatsa), his three young children and his ailing mother Amma (Surekha Sikri), who spends most of her time lying down and screaming at Natha and Dhaniya.
Natha and Budhia often pretend to go out farming when actually they save up whatever money they have to buy alcohol. This has left the whole family famished and now the banks are demanding repayment of loans or else the family will be stripped of their land and house. In the meantime, the Mukhya Pradesh Government have called a by-election due to continuous criticism of their blind eye towards the desperate poverty that surrounds India's largest state. Govt belongs to Sammaan party, headed by district head Bhai Thakur (Sitaram Panchal). Bhai Thakur refuses to help Nath and Budhia. The opposition Apna Dal Party believe they have a chance to form the government in this election as the people have lost faith in the long-serving Sammaan Party and its Chief Minister, Ram Babu Yadav who, along with Federal Agriculture Minister, Saleem Kidwai (Naseeruddin Shah), believes in the industrialization of rural areas.
To save his land and to save his family from becoming homeless, Natha, encouraged by his brother, decides to commit suicide after Bhai Thakur suggests that his committing suicide is a good way to get loan money waived, and after which his family will receive heavy compensation (Rs 1 Lakh) for his death.While Natha and his brother are discussing this possibility at a local tea stall, the news gets reported by Rakesh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a local reporter from Peepli. The issue is picked up by the CM, who admonishes the district collector, who then calls up the BDO to pick up Natha and Budhia. The BDO allocates a "Laal Bahadur" or a hand pump to Natha. Bhai Thakur is also pulled up by the CM, who now tells Natha not to commit suicide.This report then gets picked up and highlighted by the national English news channels and reaches the Chief Minister. The media starts surrounding Peepli sensing the possibility of a sensational suicide story. One ITVN journalist particularly keen on filming the event of Natha's death is Daytime Presenter, Nandita Malik (Nandita Das).
She joins the local reporter Rakesh Kapoor and takes desperate measures to interview Natha and his family on the subject of Natha's suicide. However, things get trickier when rival Hindi news channel, "Bharat Live" finds out about Natha and Peepli. Deepak (Vishal O Sharma) is the reporter from Bharat Live and is a close confidante of the Chief Minister of Mukhya Pradesh.The news channel clashes with ITVN and each try to film Natha's impending death in their own manner. The Sammaan Party also soon discover Natha's plans and try to buy off Natha with sops to prevent him from committing suicide. Opposition parties like the Apna Dal and the CPI also get involved and plan to use Natha as a path to power in the elections. Peepli soon becomes the center of attention across Mukhya Pradesh. It soon resembles a carnival.Agricultural ministry refuses to intervene and instead establishes a fact-finding mission under a retired judge.
Nandita's frantic attempts to interview Natha get worse when Rakesh does not find Natha or anyone else in Peepli to interview. She seems unimpressed with Rakesh's compassionate stand towards Natha (Rakesh is also angling Nandita for a reporting job in the city, but she continues to ignore him) and believes that as reporters their duty lies in reporting and following the news and nothing else. Rakesh is disillusioned by the death of another farmer in the same village. His land was auctioned off and he used to sell mud to the local brick factory for Rs 20/day. He died in the same pit due to exhaustion. Rakesh is angry as his death receives no coverage.
On the other hand, "Bharat Live" continues to be successful in their attempts to interview.Yet as time goes on, Natha does not die. Meanwhile, the Sammaan Party realize that if Natha commits suicide, they will lose the elections. Bhai Thakur is alarmed when CM ditches him and aligns with local caste leader Pappulal who has been supporting Natha on live TV. Bhai Thakur is livid and insecure about losing his status. Thakur meets Natha and Budhia and threatens them to kill Natha within 2 days (so that the CM is adversely impacted in the polls). In front of the media he puts the blame on the CM. The next day, the CM arrives with Pappulal. He promises Natha a compensation of Rs 1 Lakh and tells the media that Natha won't die anymore. But Saleem Kidai complains to the election commission that the CM cannot benefit individuals illegally and the sops are withdrawn. Natha is back on death row.
Bhai Thakur secretly kidnap Natha and hold him ransom for money from the opposition. The political drama intensifies as Saleem Kidwai announces a special card for BPL farmers. He has no intention of implementing it as implementation is the headache of state governments.Yet their plans are foiled when Rakesh discovers Deepak and his men holding Natha hostage at a Peepli barn. A rush occurs when people from Apna Dal, the CPI, ITVN, Bharat Live and Peepli villagers all rush to find Natha.The plan was for Bhai Thakur to involve Saleem Kidwai. Saleem Kidwai would take the credit for finding Natha and resolving the matter. But CM intervenes and gives the contract for seeds in the state to Saleem's foreign company. As the administration reaches the barn, they are confronted by the media and confusion ensues.In the confusion, a spillage accident from a Petromax lamp sets fire to the barn, which explodes, and Rakesh is killed. The Government officials mistake Rakesh for Natha and refuse to pay Natha's family the compensation money due to the death being an accident. Meanwhile, Natha is in fact alive and flees to Gurgaon and is seen working as a day laborer in the construction industry.His family loses their land to the bank.
