Aravind and I were to go out and watch Dhobi Ghat today. We booked tickets three days in advance and ensured that nothing would come in the way of us viewing it in the movie hall by letting our friends know that we were 'busy' for the afternoon and that they were not to make any other plans (involving us) during the time. So far, so good.
And then yesterday night, we went out to a BBQ Dinner Buffet (at a place that was a wannabe cousin of BBQ Nation but infinitely more pocket friendly!) with a friend. Being foodies with a reputation, we did full justice to the meal and by the end of it could not even move (I've no clue how we managed to reach home - we were literally dragging ourselves around). While I slept soundly under the weight of all the kebabs, Aravind spent a sleepless night visiting the toilet (multiple times :) ). Needless to say, by noon today it became quite certain that the Dhobi Ghat plans would not materialize.
Thats when we remembered about poor Peepli Live. We had wanted to watch iit n the movie hall but had to cancel the plans due to severe rains. Then we made multiple attempts to watch it either on CD or when it was aired on tv but we could never quite get down to it. However, thanks to Tata Sky and its recording facility, I had recorded the movie when it played on television (we much prefer watching movies that way coz we can just fast-forward all the ads :) ). Now this happened ages ago but in the whirlwind that is our daily lives, we didn't get to watch it. Today presented an opportunity to finally see it and we made sure we did not miss it.
Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. A satire on the condition of Indian farmers as a result of the severe drought and the business that politics and media have become, Peepli Live definitely touched a chord. I particularly liked it because while it highlighted issues that need to be addressed, it did not attempt to provide Utopian solutions to their problems like Hindi films are prone to doing. It also did a good job of exposing facets of human nature that normally do not get showcased (or are very crudely depicted - and I talk of Hindi movies here, I am a die-hard fan irrespective of whatever junk they dish out :D ).
Of course, there was one thing that marred my thorough enjoyment of the movie but it had nothing to do with the makers or the actors. Poor Aravind, with his fumbling knowledge of Hindi (which he would never admit to) needed a word-by-word translation of everything that went on and ensured that I never got too emotionally involved with the characters :) !!! Thank God, recordings can be Paused as desired!!!
