Why We Love Watching Rural Dramas
But everything feels like a Panchayat spin-off
Panchayat has made India's small-town aesthetic (once reduced to sepia-toned Bollywood nostalgia) the latest fad for web series creators. Simplicity, slowness, and illusion of a 'more authentic' India, we have series like Gram Chikitsalaya and Dupahiya, that are riding the bandwagon of the village life cinematic universe.
But what's really becoming of them all? An assembly line that churns out shows that feel like pixel-perfect copies of the original. Real good stories but at its core trying to be Panchayat. The two stories despite their distinct storylines feel like bottled Panchayat magic and uneven results.
They deceptively seem to be fetishizing the village life, particularly, it's simplicity. Unlike the Deepak Kumar Mishra's series that created space for the awkward silences, the oppressive heat, and existential flatness of government job a relatability factor, the village was not a backdrop, but a breathing, suffocating, endearing character in life.
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But the two new series feel like cosplay without the crisis. It's the same milk formula to create the village drama-comedy universe. Do they tick the boxes for introducing well-rounded quirky characters? Yes. Dusty roads? Check. Those bureaucratic absurdities? Yes.
But the only difference that makes us unimpressed? The internal world of its protagonist. Both series available on Amazon Prime Video depict the village life more like skits than stories, as a comic prop than a universe.
Both lean into easy-to-digest plots that lack the layered storytelling of Panchayat and the conflicts unlike the latter are more external than internal. The rural problems are outlandish or exaggerated with how 'simple' they the people are, making it predictable, and ultimately forgettable.
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More than solving problems and Panchayat was about surviving the monotony, the daily grind. In contrast, Gram Chikitsalay aims for the hero's journey; the city boy coming to a village, solving their health issues or at least attempting to convince them to show up at the clinic centre.
In Dupahiya, it is about getting the Dupahiya (bike) back so characters realise their true calling, differentiating between reality and fantasy.
Since the plot for the two latest web series are straightforward, it misses out on nuanced narrative of subtle failure and growth. Just when you think you can now connect with the characters on deeper level, the scene moves on.
Instead of being an inspiration to build upon, these series despite great character arcs, storyline, and acting prowess fail to surprise audiences in a completely new light.
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Sorry, but when did we ask for Chicken Soup for Souls, again?