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India's rise of rural cinema: Film productions turn to the countryside
In 2025, Panchayat became the most-watched series in India. Its success stems from its story about the head of a village council in a rural area of Uttar Pradesh. In recent years, stories from rural India have permeated the film industry, even reaching prestigious international award ceremonies. This rural revival has fostered the growth of independent rural cinema, particularly with the emergence of new streaming platforms. Since 2019, the platform STAGE has produced several hundred films in local dialects, targeting a potential audience of 50 million people, a segment long ignored by the multi-billion dollar Bollywood film industry. A report by Selma Daoui and Nabeel Ahmed.
In 2025, Panchayat became the most-watched series in India. Its success stems from its story about the head of a village council in a rural area of Uttar Pradesh. In recent years, stories from rural India have permeated the film industry, even reaching prestigious international award ceremonies. This rural revival has fostered the growth of independent rural cinema, particularly with the emergence of new streaming platforms. Since 2019, the platform STAGE has produced several hundred films in local dialects, targeting a potential audience of 50 million people, a segment long ignored by the multi-billion dollar Bollywood film industry. A report by Selma Daoui and Nabeel Ahmed.
