Peepli Live

I saw this movie today, a long time after having bought the DVD. At the end of the movie, I feel quite depressed - the story's treatment in the movie is quite light and deft, but the content itself is so cynical and bereft of any hope that it is difficult to not feel uncomfortable. The worst part about the whole shebang is that it rings so true!

There are many things wrong with our country. The debilitating poverty, the sensationalist media, the venal politicians, the useless bureaucrats - all these come alive in the story of Peepli Live. The only bright hope - a young journalist with his heart in the right place - succumbs in the end to no avail. The world goes on, and many Hori Mahatos continue to die.

I think the reason why the world that this movie portrays exists is because the victims let it exist. Perhaps due to the caste system ingrained in our genes, we as a nation are so used to accepting someone else's superiority that we bend over backwards and take it. We like not only turning over the other cheek, but we offer to self flagellate for good measure. We continue to be chained by the accidents of our birth - if one is lucky enough to be born in the right family, one gets the most exciting opportunities. But one born to - for example, my maid - stands no chance to change the trajectory of his life. And this is the worst tragedy of our times.