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India’s Agricultural Minister informed his Parliament today that as many as 224 farmers in four Indian states have committed suicide this year. One study estimates that 150,000 farmers have killed themselves in the past ten years in India. Farmer suicides are a tangible consequence of India’s shift to a neo-liberal economic model. The vast majority of the world’s second most populated country still farms for a living, but are caught between deep debt and the erratic nature of seasonal change. Lured by the promise of greater production, farmers are pressured into mortgaging their farms to purchase genetically modified seeds, pesticides, and fertilizer from American companies like Monsanto. A new film set against the backdrop of this grim topic opens today. It’s called Peepli Live, written and directed by Anusha Rizwi and produced by India’s most popular movie star, Aamir Khan. Peepli Live is set in an Indian village named Peepli where a young debt-burdened farmer named Natha is talked into taking his own life after he learns that his family will be financially compensated through a government program created to alleviate the loss of farmers taking their own lives. What unfolds is a dark comedy of errors when a media circus descends on the tiny village, followed by corrupt politicians wanting to make use of the planned tragedy. I recently spoke with the producer of Peepli Live, Aamir Khan. Forty five year old Khan is an actor and producer known for his films like Lagaan, the 2001 Oscar nominated film about Indian resistance to the British occupation. His latest film 3 Idiots released last year became the highest grossing film in Indian film history. Peepli Live opens in theaters today at the Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills, the Santa Monica 4, and the Fallbrook 7.

GUEST: Aamir Khan, Indian actor and producer

Peepli Live opens on August 13th. Find out more at www.peeplilivethefilm.com

Read the transcript of the interview here: http://www.alternet.org/world/147825/bollywood_superstar_aamir_khan_shines_the_
spotlight_on_what%27s_caused_an_estimated_150%2C000_
farmer_suicides_in_india/

Watch a video of the interview here: http://uprisingradio.org/home/?p=14766