Subscribe to RSSWhy Peepli [Live] is no Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron
The blogosphere is abuzz with comparisons between Anusha Rizvi’s recently released Peepli [Live] and Kundan Shah’s seminal Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, that released more than a quarter of a century ago. Now, Peepli [Live] is a brilliant film, no doubt. And at first glance, it might seem a little unfair comparing it to a timeless classic. But given some serious thought, it doesn’t really seem all that unfair. Both films belong to the same genre and carry similar intentions, after all. And if we compare the two on the effect they have vis-a-vis those intentions, I don’t personally see anything wrong with it. So, here’s why I feel that Peepli [Live] is no Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro.
To begin with, my intention is not to call one film superior to the other. Just because Everest is higher, K2 doesn’t become any less intimidating or challenging. Both the peaks inspire equal awe and so do the two films in 
question. Peepli [Live] is perhaps made with the same sincerity, passion and application that JBDY was made with. It’s barbs are sharper than that of its predecessor. It touches upon the oft-neglected rural India as opposed to the urban focus of JBDY. And while JBDY featured names that were already on the fringe of being established, Peepli [Live] brings out a set of rank unknowns, and talented ones at that, into the limelight. All in all, Peepli [Live] has enough steam in it to hold its own against any comparison. This write-up is more an account of why JDBY worked for me more than Peepli [Live].
The most intriguing phenomenon I’ve seen over the last couple of days is the critical reception for the film. Across the board, critics have praised it, most of them to the skies, but rarely has any critic ventured beyond a 3/3.5 rating. Not that I have a very high opinion of the arithmetic behind these ratings, but as far as my memory serves me, such glowing reviews are invariably accompanied by a 4/4.5 rating. Sadly, none of the reviews offer a plausible explanation for this deviation. I hope this write-up does shed some light on this phenomenon.
I might have watched JBDY close to 10 times since the time I attained enough maturity to appreciate it fully. And every time the protagonists march together in prison attire, drawing the curtains on it, I feel my throat choking. The climax of Peepli [Live], though equally stark, didn’t evoke any such reaction from me. I’ve seen some baseless comments that the reason behind this could be the lack of realism in the depiction of rural India. The way I see it, the depiction was reasonably realistic, enough for me to take it as it is – and I’ve spent time in quite a few villages in my lifetime. Moreover, this was not meant to be a documentary anyways. Another argument that I refuse to buy is that the apathy that the urban populace shares towards rural India is responsible for it. Well, if I can’t connect with an issue even after watching a moving film on it, its not apathy that afflicts me, its indifference. I know for sure that I’m not indifferent towards the concerns of rural India as I’ve connected with many a film with rural issues in the past. Then why the different experiences? I have a theory.
In my opinion, its the perspective that the two films employ while telling their respective stories. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro was the story of defeated hope and lost innocence. It centred around the naive and idealistic duo of Sudhir & Vinod and portrayed how they see the system destroying their idealistic bearings – not as intended individual targets, but simply in the spate of its unabated corruption. The central characters are two of us and we get involved in their travails since we relate with them. We share their hope at the opening rendition of Hum Honge Kaamyaab, go full circle with them through their disappointments, struggles and defeats, sharing and soaking their agony and pain throughout. Once in a while, we even feel elated when they earn a petty & inconsequential victory. Admidst the sorrounding darkness at the end, we also share a tear with them and at the same time, also share their down-but-not-out optimism conveyed through the culminating rendition of Hum Honge Kaamyaab. JBDY was fuelled by positivity and hope.
Peepli [Live], on the other hand, is a story of media machinations, political opportunism and bureaucratic indifference. It is the story of Kumar Deepak & Nandita Malik & Rakesh; of Bhai Thakur & Salim Kidwai; of breaking news,
hollow platitudes & Lal Bahadurs. Budhiya and Natha, the rural counterparts of Sudhir and Vinod, are still pawns in the bigger picture, but they don’t have the spotlight on them anymore. The spotlight is on the “villians”. And though we do get pulled away by the sheer magnetism of the spotlight, manifested in the piercing dialogues, the hapless villagers & the brutal & no-nonsense tone of the film, that’s also where the catch lies. The media, politicians & bureaucrats are not one of us, the aam junta. In effect, we end up becoming mere flies on the wall watching the circus unfold but unable to connect with it. As for Budhiya, Natha and the other villagers, we can only empathise with them as their despondency about being close to losing their land turns into bewilderment at the circus. Peepli [Live] is fuelled by cynicism, that of the Godaan variety, and it duly offers a telling tribute to its inspiration through a skeleton of a farmer, a mine of metaphors in the film.
If we analyze our progress over the last 25 odd years, we see that while we’ve taken giant strides in the measurable metrics like the economy, technology, infrastructure etc., we’ve been equally regressive with the unquantifiable ones like our civic sense, ethics, tolerance, compassion etc. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron reflected the hope of the early 80′s, when we were just rising out of the darkest period of our independent history. Peepli [Live] reflects the sad state of affairs as they stand today. And while one can understand and empathise with the cynicism of well-intentioned but hapless common people, it is the golden ray of optimism that shines through the dark exteriors of JBDY that endears it to me. Peepli [Live], unfortunately, doesn’t carry one.
All said and done, such comparisons would firmly stay ensconced in the subjective & relative zones, being points of personal opinion. So, while I welcome all discussion and debate on the semantics and dynamics of my comparison, I politely decline any debate on the final outcome of it. However, if your opinion is contrary to mine, please do state it freely and if possible, also the reasons why you feel so. It’ll only add to the discussion and who knows, you might even convert me. 
Follow Us
13 Comments
yes it is cynical and it offers no ray of hope…it is indeed a reflection of our general attitude…while we have made progress on various fronts, I think people's faith on the political class and the bureaucrats is at an all time low…
coming to star ratings, I've always had a difficulty in accepting them…it seems that the reviews and star ratings are done by two different people!…it is a dangerous trend because many people do not read the reviews but check out the star rating…
in general I have seen that the low budget and unconventional movies are generally praised but are given a low rating while the big releases get good stars on filmsy grounds (like watch it for X or Y etc)…
I sure did not become a fly on the wall watching the movie … We dont want to become a villian but every time we pay a bribe let alone take it (hopefully not) we are taking part in the villiany itself. The many times our lives are plagued by those in more powerful positions whether it is at workplace or around us or in the challegenges faced by people working for us maids, drivers ,maalies those who are in a poorer state basically. The end is definitely bleaker here coz bhookh, berozgaari aur garibi aadmi ko bus ek skeleton banaake chodh deti hai. Lachaar hi darshaaya hai. Its not a youth movie like JBDY……Its more powerful than JBDY like Do beega zameen was.
Actually only after reading articles on PFC about JBDY did I begin to feel that it is a satire and a commentary on corruption. It never inspired me to do something about it although thats what the protagonists do. Peepli on the other hand makes me uncomfortable and makes me want to do something. You want to reach out and make it better.
i would say RDB was more effective than JBDY in inspiring the youth too.
DND : Thanks for the comments.
Though both films were satires, the tone they employed was vastly different. JBDY was subtler on the satire and diluted it with a lot of layered slapstick. Peepli, on the other hand is more in-your-face with the satire and employs a rather caustic kind of humour. Both approaches worked for me equally well and both films duly made the point they wanted to. Both are brilliant films and that goes without saying. The comparison is not on that premise at all. Its rather a very individual opinion of which of the two worked more for me and why.
If one looks at your argument on the same premise, it holds just as valid as mine. Your comparison of Peepli with Do Bigha Zameen was awesome. The film does have a similar effect to it though DBZ was a tragi-drama and Peepli, a satire. Would you like to write a piece for us with a study on the two?
I'll try and restate my point about "a fly on the wall" since I feel you misunderstood me a bit on that one.
Peepli begins with Budhiya & Natha already in a rut and focusses on how certain elements exploit the sorry state they're in, which is just a sad culmination of a destructive chain. The beginning and mid-game of this chain are far more sordid and uncomfortable, which the film doesn't really touch upon. Moreover, Budhiya and Natha aren't really part of the action here. They just look by from the sidelines, bewildered.
JBDY, on the other hand, was a more complete representation of the chain. The film starts with Sudhir & Vinod making an honest beginning with hope and innocence and as complete outsiders to the system. The film shows how the system sucks them in and how they end up losing their innocence but not their hope. Now, the semantics might be slightly different here, but one can safely argue that unemployment, corruption and the businessman-politician-bureaucrat nexus held the same importance in the larger scheme of things as consumerism, the rich-poor divide and state apathy hold today. In that sense, the dynamics still remain the same.
Two things stemming out of this comparison made me use the fly on the wall analogy. One was the completeness of the chain in JBDY and the second was the central characters being in the thick of the action. While in JBDY, I cringed in pain every time Sudhir & Vinod took a hit, in Peepli, I just watched the circus unfold from the sidelines. Point being, Peepli leaves us with no hope…JBDY does…and I personally feel that there's still a lot of hope for us, however sad a state we might be in.
As for films inspiring one to do something, I don't think it ever happens. Films can only make you think, the possibility of them making you act is negligible when it comes to larger socio-political issues. That again, is just my opinion.
". While in JBDY, I cringed in pain every time Sudhir & Vinod took a hit, in Peepli, I just watched the circus unfold from the sidelines"
I think it could be the fact that both are urban characters. I mean the issues in JBDY- urban decay, builder lobby shenigans, builder- politician-govt nexus, shoddy construction are something we face close to us. Majority of us are from the Urban middle class, and JBDY raises issues which we actually experience.
Same goes with KKG, the travails Anupam Kher faces in the movie are something we experience closely. So we can feel with Naseer and Ravi Vaswani in JBDY, coz we have been through it.
Peepli Live is different, the only exposure we have to rural areas is either those trips to Grandma's place during summer holidays or looking out of the train window. So we can't really connect with Budhiya or Natha, for us its more like something to be watched at.
Also we are more familiar with the Urban chain as we witness it every day at close quarters. We know for sure, what is what, who is who. We have seen the entire chain of corruption at close quarters, and let us be honest, at one time or another, we sure would have bribed to get things done.
When you see Anupam Kher arguing with the customs officer for his son's ashes in Saaransh, you can identify with him immediately, coz at some time or other, we would have faced the same kind of situation with the customs people.
But when you watch a movie on a rural theme, we can at best be outsiders. I mean we hear about the moneylender- landlord nexus, but how many of us have actually had to experience it. And its not just the Urban mass, the fact is Rural India is too vast and complex , where things change from one district to another.
KKG was set in Delhi, but even a person watching it in Hyderabad, Chennai or Bangalore, would have immediately connected with it, because the issues shown in it are universal to any city in India.
On the other hand, if you take Peepli Live, while a farmer from the Vidarbha or Telangana region,which is where most of the suicides take place, could immediately empathize with it, to a farmer from the Konkan or Kanara or the Konaseema region or the Malabar area, it would not really strike a chord, as their issues are different. Here they are as much outsiders as the urban masses are.
what you guys say about not relating to the rural life and the problems ther reminds me of the clip in Swades where SRK goes out to collect some rent and comes back in a state of shock. The wretched state of the poor is far more easy to relate to especially if you have had a humbler childhood. I find it harder to appreciate the celebration of the rich.
Recently "Jaane tu" was one which I liked for t he humour the coming of age issues but it struckme after a week that all that the characters seem to do was party, picnic and live the high life….and Abbas had the crowds lapping it up…We were discusssing the charm of Genelia the brilliance of ARR to no end while Dilli 6 just fizzled despite the huge urban backdrop the metaphoric bandar missed the mark….."Wake up Sid" teased us to see how far it could go and proved to be the urban favorite.
I grew up watching DO beegha , Garam coat another Balraj Sahni masterpiece not to confused with Garam hawa. In GC his poor circumstances are like a runaway train which totally turns his life unside down. Mother India is another valuable movie which I appreciated so much more when I saw it with my Mother in law (she was a farmer) and heard her experiences. While in urban stories a job and lifestyle are usually the main players in rural ones it is land & inheritence . The youth is rebellious as was Sunil Dutt in Mother India who becomes a dacoit .In Peepli there is no fight. Natha is too scared and disappears…..The dark forces today are much stronger which is why Dubey and Manjunath are no more and din dahade kidnaps and rapes are on the rise. Its also disturbing to see the recent rise in honor killings over inter caste marriages.
Im extremely flattered by being asked to write & compare Do beega and Peepli…ek adchan hai…I have see do beega again and a clearer version of peepli ;-( ..its not like I saw it at the theatre guys (so ashamed ) ..so thoda jugaad karna padega. ..Vaise ye "narcissist " kaun hai ?
Jaane Tu… was what i would say a typical South Mumbai ( or South Delhi) kind of movie, much like Aisha, and the earlier KJo movies. You know characters have a ball of a time, have fun, seem to have no issues other than falling in love, or getting a girl friend. Somehow characters in these movies just seem to have it way to easy, and i think this trend started with Yash Chopra's Dil to Paagal Hai. I mean DDLJ at least had some dramatic element in it, Raj trying to win the affections of his girl's strict Dad, but in DTPH, the characters seemed to have everything quite easy, and then those never ending sermons on Dosti and Pyaar.
Ratnakar : The issue is not one of empathising with the characters. I did have strong feelings for the likes of Natha & Budhiya long before I saw the film. The issue here is that they're just far removed from the action in the film…powerless & hopeless. And since we don't know how they got into this situation (being objective…for all we know, they could've drunk & gambled away their assets), we don't feel as much for them as we might've if the film had also touched upon how these economic inequalities came by in rural India. But again…that goes into the filmmakers' personal prerogative zone.
DND : What you mention about the dark forces being stronger today is very true…thats what I meant by the cynicism of the well-intentioned but helpless common man. However, as I wrote in the post, I'm quite optimistic of a turn for the better even in the current scenario.
I am not a critic. I am not an expert. I'm just a viewer. And for me there was a pretty damn clear distinction between the two films. That being the way they made me feel.
I remember seeing Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron on a VHS tape very many years ago. That was a true 'ROFL' experience, not the sort that gets thrown at you every time you mention the funnies on the internets. Yes there was a subtle realization of the underlying commentary on corruption, but still that was not what I took away from the movie. What I took away was the howling laughter that the awesomely awesome 'Mahabharata' scene seemed to have induced in my Aunt (who was widely suspected of being unable to express joy, no matter what). What I took away was a permanent memory of people called Naseeruddin, Ravi Baswani, Pankaj Kapoor and so on. However…
When I was done watching Peepli [Live] (late night show with just 2 other ppl in the hall), I didn't feel like laughing. Far from it. It had hit me. Anusha Rizvi, if this was her intention, had nailed it pretty damn hard. The take away wasn't laughter. On my way out of the hall I wondered if the guards were migrants from a village not very different from Peepli. You know things like 'really, all that for 1 lakh?' or 'come on that can't be true, or is it?'. Questions my friends, I came out with questions. As if didn't already have a truckload of them.
So there it is. Did I just read too much into this movie? Like reading a Ayn Rand story in a Chetan Bhagat novel? Or was it the same for you as well?
You might argue about both of them being satires, one might even compare actors, story-lines, and what you may. But this sums it up for me. Maybe its because I was little when I saw JBDY and maybe because I have known many a Nathas myself. But then its 'to each his own' inside the hall. init?
:]
Welcome and thanks for the comment, Jhandu.
I can understand exactly where you're coming from. And your view is perfectly valid. I sincerely wish Peepli Live had a similar effect on me. Anusha's intentions were honest and well executed. And just because of the fact that I expected more, I wouldn't call it inferior. I'd be damned as a film critic if I did. I wouldn't even hint that you read too much into the movie. We never experience a movie by itself. A movie experience is the sum-total of all our experiences till that point and there's a whole lot of baggage, both positive and negative, that we bring into a viewing. And our final experience is always dependant on that baggage. And as you say, to each his own.
Since the two films employ a different tone, their immediate effect is bound to be different. But over a period of time, how much of that initial effect we internalise depends on how well the film worked for us. And its from that standpoint that I say that JBDY worked more for me. Now the fact that Peepli didn't work just as well could be the result of some inadequacies on my part, maybe some on the filmmaker's part, maybe some external factors or any permutation or combination of these. It did for you, and it didn't for me. As long as we can point a finger to a reason for it being so, we have a valid point.
I also feel that you need to watch JBDY once more to appreciate the subtlety of the satire in it. I didn't till I watched it in 2005. The Mahabharat scene, apart from being one of the best slapstick scenes ever, was also a toung-in-cheek satire. "Draupadi" or the "passport to emancipation" for Sudhir and Vinod was being attacked from all ends, expected and unexpected, while the duo (symbolising honesty and good intentions), even though they were supposedly on the wrong side of the moral compass (wrong side of the law being suspects for D'Mello's murder) were vehemently trying to save. The powers that be didn't spare any excuse to nail the duo (even appearing as Akbar and the likes). Even the famous Om Puri-Satish Shah sequence had its own veiled satire.
I guess I haven't been able to articulate my point well enough. Jhandu's comment and a discussion I had on Debashri's FB page has kind of put things in better perspective for me to express it.
As I mentioned in the article, Peepli is more of the media & politicians' story than that of Natha & Budhiya. Now, the depth to which Anusha has probed the machinations of the media, as compared to the heavily hyped "media expose" Rann, is what makes me call it a brilliant film. But then its not really an eye-opener for someone who's not a stranger to how the media functions. For someone who takes the media at face value will perhaps be moved by Peepli Live the same way as I was moved by JBDY.
Peepli doesn't give too much an insight on the plight of a Budhiya/Natha. They're a mere prop in highlighting what the film wants to focus on – the flippancy of the politicians, bureaucrats and media. Someone like Jhandu, who has grown up in a village, would definitely relate better with a Budhiya/Natha compared to someone like me, who has seen rural life from very close but remains an outsider nonetheless. If Anusha had gone into some more detail on how the economic inequalities have taken root in the first place, before the media arrives to exploit it, maybe it would have gotten someone like me to relate better with Budhiya/Natha.
JBDY, on the other hand, transcends geography & demographics. It charts out how the sickness of corruption takes root in society, enveloping even the Sudhirs & Vinods who have nothing to do with it. The decadence of today that Peepli attacks is a derivation of what JBDY attacked back then. One doesn't need to come from a certain background to appreciate it and relate to the characters and the themes. Someone like Jhandu is as much a victim of corruption as someone like me. Corruption affects everyone, regardless of them believing in Rajat Sharma's mythological news or their knowledge of the TRP driven programming.
Coming to think of it, maybe its highly slapstick tone could have even turned counter-productive, making a lot of people not take it seriously. I was one of them till a few years ago.
This still is just my opinion, based on my experience of watching the films. I'm not stating this as a conclusive inference. I'm looking forward to more opinions.
Bollyfan – I agree with you that PEEPLI LIVE does not give too much of an insight into the plight of Budhiya and Natha. It is the drama around them, that takes centerstage and the focus shifts from their plight, to the drama. In JBDY, the focus was on Vinod and Sudhir and how their characters are affected by the drama around them. I think, to me, that is the basic difference between the two films.
Having said that, I have to admit, that I didn't know PL was being compared to JBDY.
To me, JBDY is a part of my childhood memories….. The first time I saw it, I had a lump in my throat in the last scene, despite all the madness preceding it. And after all these years and even now that I have lost count of the number of times I have seen the film, I still choke up! The irony of the situation wasn't lost on me, even as a child. And that is where I think PL lost out on.
While in the theatre, people were laughing and laughing and laughing – a lot of them didn't seem to catch the satire of it. I don't know if it is the failure of the filmmaker, or was it just people being stupid.
One thing that a lot of people are having trouble with, is how the media was portrayed in the film. If you ask me, they deserved it! JBDY portrayed the media of its time and PL the media of our times – it was in between that media underwent a sea change for the better. Now, they are falling into the trap of sensationalism and focus on trivial stuff. The media circus around Natha's life reminded me of the Rahul Gandhi and Kalavati thing – every single news channel, newspaper was covering that story, every little bit of it. And suddenly…. it all went away….. the poverty and desperation that Kalavati stood for, didn't figure in the channels at all. What figured, is where Rahul Gandhi went next! That is our media now and I didn't feel even a bit sorry for their portrayal in PL.