'Peepli Live's' Natha finds a little fan

Saturday evening, an Aamir Khan production, and a half-empty theatre. Relieved, I readied myself for a satisfying movie experience. I could not have been more wrong. A predominantly family crowd with wailing children and even luggage in tow, proceeded to occupy the seats around me. It was like a picnic, with a movie thrown in.

The film, an intelligent satire, soon became a ‘laugh at anything’ riot. Apparently, two men walking down a street strikes some as hilarious. But the real clincher was the family sitting in front of me. Evidence of Aamir’s knack for promoting his films pre-release was a child of about two years who insisted on knowing who Natha (the lead character) is. Subsequently, whenever the actor came on screen, the child would begin shouting ‘Natha! Natha!’ at the top of his lungs.

To my surprise, instead of being booed out of the hall as they should have been, my fellow viewers found it downright endearing, complementing the child’s screams with indulgent ‘awws’. How’s that for an understanding audience!