'Swades', 'PadMan', 'Peepli Live': Don't miss these 5 rural India films before diving into 'Panchayat Season 3'

As 'Panchayat' gears up for its highly anticipated third season release on May 28, fans eagerly await the continuation of the story set in the fictional village of Phulera, Uttar Pradesh. Directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra, the series features Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, and others in prominent roles. Amidst the excitement for the upcoming season, here are some acclaimed dramas that delve into rural India's narrative landscape.

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The 2004 movie 'Swades,' directed and produced by Ashutosh Gowariker, starred Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, and Kishori Ballal. It tells the story of the lead character setting up a micro-hydroelectric project to generate electricity, reportedly inspired by the 2003 Kannada film ‘Chigurida Kanasu’. The music was composed by AR Rahman.

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‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’, directed by Shree Narayan Singh, was released in 2017. The film stars Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar and focuses on improving sanitation in India, especially in rural areas, by ending open defecation. It highlights the cultural and religious issues causing the toilet problem, which frustrates women and leads to sexual harassment.

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The 2018 biographical comedy-drama ‘Pad Man’ was written and directed by R. Balki. It stars Akshay Kumar and Radhika Apte in key roles. The film is based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist from Tamil Nadu who created low-cost sanitary pads for women in rural areas. Akshay’s wife writer Twinkle Khanna mentioned Arunachalam in her book ‘The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad.’

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Directed by Anusha Rizvi and produced by Aamir Khan Productions, ‘Peepli Live’ is a 2010 satirical black comedy film about farmer suicides and the media and political response to them. It features Omkar Das Manikpuri, Naseeruddin Shah, Raghubir Yadav, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shalini Vatsa, and Malaika Shenoy. The film was India's official entry for the Best Foreign Film category at the 83rd Academy Awards, though it was not nominated.

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‘Sui Dhaaga’ by Sharat Katariya featured Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma as a married couple from a small town in India who start their own small-scale clothing business. The film completed its shooting in different locations in India, including Chanderi, Bhopal, Delhi, and Ghaziabad. This 2018 Hindi drama received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success at the box office.

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