Omkar Das Manikpuri,the lead actor of Aamir Khan Productions Peepli Live,on his humble beginnings in Chattisgarh and why he finds Mumbai bewildering In the days running up to the release of Aamir Khans latest production Peepli Live a dark comedy depicting farmer suicides,first time director Anusha Rizvi is quite nervous. Her anxiety is matched by that of 40-year-old Omkar Das Manikpuri of Brindanagar village in Chattisgarh,the lead actor in the movie,who wants the film to hit the box-office soon,only so that he can go and shake hands with his idol actor Amitabh Bachchan. Manikpuri plays the lead role of Natha in Peepli Live that releases on August 12. Since childhood,I have been a huge fan of his. I am hoping he comes for the premiere of the film, he says. All this seems like a dream. It is quite unbelievable. My friends and family back in the village call me and talk about the promos on television. I feel really happy when they say all such nice things. Aamir ji recently made me meet the Love Aaj Kal heroine Deepika ji (Padukone). She was very nice to me too , says Manikpuri over a telephonic conversation from the Oriental Residency in Mumbais posh Khar West,where he has been put up by Khans production team ahead of the films premiere. Its a far cry from his days as a street artist in Chattisgarh,where he would take part in the local form of folk theatre called Nacha,honing his skills as a singer,actor and a stand-up comedian over the course of shows,but so far,Manikpuri seems quite unaffected by the hype around his debut film. He talks in fluid Chattisgarhi Hindi,and tells us how it was easy slipping in to the shoes of Natha,a farmer in Peepli. I could do this film because I did not have to do any homework on how I have to look or how I have to talk. I just needed to get acquainted with the camera and Anushaji helped me with that, says Manikpuri,who would take up construction work occasionally to substantiate his livelihood and provide for his seven-member family,including his three kids. We did not have our own land. My father was a bonded labourer. After he died there were financial problems so I got into folk theater with a local mandali in my village, he says. He joined Habib Tanvirs Naya Theater group in Bhopal and was spotted by Rizvi and Mohammad Farooqui,the co-director of the film,in the popular play Charandas Chor before auditioning for Nathas role in Bhopal. Manikpuris best friend on the sets was Shalini Vatsa who plays the role of Dhania Nathas wife. It was nice meeting great actors like Naseeruddin Shah and Raghubir Yadav but Shalini ji helped me a lot by explaining things really well. All the difficult scenes were taken care of by her, says Manikpuri. The biggest problem he faces in Mumbai though,is not knowing English. Sab angrezi mein hi patar patar karte hai yahan. (Every one here speaks solely in English.) But this also gives me the inspiration to make sure that I educate my children properly, says Manikpuri. His wife and 19-year-old daughter are his biggest fans,he says with a touch of pride. They are glued to the television these days, he adds. It is probably the reason why,Manikpuri is in a hurry to get back home. I am beginning to get offers from Bollywood and the Chattisgarh film industry. But all this is too overwhelming for me. I want to spend some time with my family after the films release and then get back to work later, he says. But before that,there is the meeting with Big B to look forward to.
