Vidarbha farmers widows protest ‘Peepli Live’ –Burnt Effigy of Super Star Amir Khan

Vidarbha farmers widows protest ‘Peepli Live’ –Burnt Effigy of Super Star Amir Khan

Nagpur-15^th august 2010

The protest to superstar Aamir Khan's home production Peepli Live has taken the ugly turn when thousand of vidarbha farm widows joined the protest at epicenter of vidarbha farm suicides in yavatmal district 150 k.m. from Nagpur demanding urgent ban on the screening of the movie ‘Peepli Live’ Objecting to the way the issue of farmer suicide has been depicted in the film.

‘Today vidarbha farm widows have started the protest to superstar Aamir Khan's

home production Peepli Live by burning the effigy tomoraw we will stop the screening of the movie in vidarbha if Maharashtra Government fail to ban the movie immediately.’ Bebitai Bais president of vidarbha farm widows association announced in the rally attened by more than five thousand farm widows and debt trapped farmers in small township Pandharkawada in Yavatmal district.

‘Earlier too TV serial Bairi Piya has shown that debt-trapped Vidarbha farmers are selling daughters to clear their debt. While 'Peepli Live' is far from reality and an insult to poor farmers of Vidarbha who have been victims of globalisation and wrong policies of the state, we will not tolerate further as this movie revolves around a debt ridden farmer committing suicide for the sake of compensation, trivializes the issue and is "far from reality. we will intensify the stir further " Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS) president Kishor Tiwari said in the rally .

‘Producer Aamir Khan should have consulted experts before finalizing the script, adding the movie has put a question mark on the farmers' widows who are demanding compensation as it is a wrong representation of the misery of the family members of farmers who committed suicide’ Tiwari said.

"The farmers in any region of India commit suicide due to the wrong policies of the government, not because family members can live off the compensation they would get," Tiwari added.

Vidarbha farmer's organisation demands ban on 'Peepli Live'

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Vidarbha farmer's organisation demands ban on 'Peepli Live' 14 Aug 2010, 1650 hrs IST,PTI

Topics: vidarbha janandolan samiti peepli live farmer suicide aamir khan

MUMBAI: Objecting to the way the issue of farmer suicide has been depicted in superstar Aamir Khan's home production 'Peepli Live', Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS) has urged the Maharashtra Government to ban the movie immediately. The Nagpur-based farmer's advocacy group said that the movie which revolves around a debt ridden farmer committing suicide for the sake of compensation, trivialises the issue and is "far from reality." Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS) president Kishor Tiwari in a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said, "TV serial 'Bairi Piya' has shown that debt-trapped Vidarbha farmers are selling daughters to clear their debt. While 'Peepli Live' is far from reality and an insult to poor farmers of Vidarbha who have been victims of globalisation and wrong policies of the state,". VJAS said producer Aamir Khan should have consulted experts before finalising the script, adding the movie has put a question mark on the farmers' widows who are demanding compensation. Khan on his part has maintained that the movie is not about farmers' suicide. The low-budget film, a satire on the farmers' suicides and subsequent media and political response, is directed by Anusha Rizvi who has also written the story