Rajpal Yadav is now going global, thanks to Vivek Budakoti’s Pied Piper, that got its World premiere at Chicago South Asian Film Festival, Fer Film Festival in Ferizaj, Republic of Kosovo, Eastern Europe and is all set to rock the MAMI as well.
Seen through the prism of Bertolt Brecht, Pied Piper is a satirical folklore of a simple laundryman,Chunnilal, who is rumoured to have acquired his beloved donkey’s brains in a freak accident. Charming millions with his asinine traits, Chunnilal soon rises to become the most popular hero of his time.Ill at ease by his non-conformist approach, suspicious establishment starts to fear his influence on society. He must be stopped. Or better, he must be eliminated. The question remains, however, whether Chunnilal, the hero of a people, can altogether be erased from a collective consciousness? A tale of a simple man’s tryst with his asinine conscience laced with wry humour, the film mirrors the current socio-political turmoil in Democratic India.
Says director producer Vivek Budakoti, “We Indians have a great sense of humour and an ability to laugh at themselves, otherwise how would you define the political circus which is still going on since Independence? Somehow common man has learnt the art of amusing himself even in grave situations like we are facing now, and that gave mean impetus to make Pied Piper.
“I like titles that signify the crux of the story so when Rajita, came up with the title Pied Piper from German Folklore we all immediately agreed as no other word could have defined the leaders and mindless followers as the title Pied Piper. We even tried looking at a Hindi synonym that could convey the gist of the story but nothing came close to the precision of Pied Piper."
Rajpal Yadav is very charged about Pied Piper. Says he, “as an actor you are always hungry, waiting for an opportunity where you find a lotus in the muck. This is one such lotus. I enjoyed every moment of it and I am glad global audiences are loving it. As an actor, the film has been immensely satisfying.”
Says Vivek Budakoti on his choice of Rajpal, “Rajpal Yadav is one of the finest actors of Indian Cinema and a dear friend. However that was not the only reason to cast him. I, as director, could only visualise two actors in that particular role… Charlie Chaplin or Rajpal Yadav—Both of them have the ability to shift their emotions from humorous to tragic in a single frame which is very rare. Both could speak not only through words but also through their bodies and communicate emotions through their physicality. There is a tragicomic charm about both of them. When I narrated the concept toRajpal, he instantly agreed. Rajpal is an involved actor and all through the shoot his active participation towards moulding the character added immense value to the film.”
