Aamir Khan's Peepli Live sold to Germans

After rave audience and critics reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, Peepli Live, directed by Anusha Rizvi, co-produced by UTV Motion Pictures and Aamir Khan Productions has just been picked up by specialty film German distribution company Rapid Eye Movies.

Theatrical release for Peepli Live in Germany is planned for third quarter of 2010. Rapid Eye has also acquired the Home Video and Television for the territory.

Stephan Holl, founder of Rapid Eye Pictures commented on his acquisition, "We are thrilled to bring to the German audience a true Indian art house film that entertains whilst telling a serious story."

Amrita Pandey, VP, International Distribution and Syndication, UTV Motion Pictures, said, "Rapid Eye is an ideal distribution partner for us to plan a theatrical Germany release for the film."

Peepli Live is Anusha Rizvi's first feature. It is a fresh and intelligently spun satire of the real-life epidemic of farmer suicides that have plagued India for the past decade. With a deft hand, Rizvi infuses humour and buoyancy in depicting this tragic predicament, illuminating the true colors of many corridors of Indian society. Peepli Live is the first Indian film ever to be selected at the Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Dramatic competition) and is also screening in out of competition at the Berlin Film Festival.

Critics who have watched the film say:

"A peppy screwball comedy with elements of social satire... Debuting writer-director Anusha Rizvi manages to wrest a lively feature out of a gravely serious issue, capturing the desperation of India's village farmers, as well as the nation's shift from agriculture to industrialization, without losing sight of the entertainment principle." – Rob Nelson, Variery.

"A comic gem set in India's beleaguered rural communities... Both funny and sobering, this film, produced by Bollywood icon Aamir Khan (the Oscar-nominated Lagaan), aims beyond Indian audiences." – Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter.

"Peepli Live is a film about land ownership and suicide that makes you laugh. In her debut feature, Anusha Rizvi entertains with a bawdy take on the rural class struggle as she examines a serious injustice in India today. Her comedy is as wildly funny as it is outrageous." – David D'Arcy, Screen International.

(Buzz18)