Ahead of Panchayat 3 - Films & Shows Based on Rural Life

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Do Bigha Zamin (1953)

Bimal Roy directed this film about a man (Balraj Sahni) who, in a bid to save his ancestral land in the village, moves to Calcutta and takes up all sorts of jobs to make money.

Mother India (1957)

Mehboob directed this film about a single mother raising her two starkly different sons in a village as India too comes of age.

Naya Daur (1957)

B.R. Chopra directed this Dilip Kumar starrer about a young cart driver who takes on the local transport operator over his decision to motorise the local transport network.

Lagaan - Once Upon a Time in India (2001)

Aamir Khan fronted this film about a cricket match between a group of villagers and the local British officials, with the rider being taxation: victory would result in three years of no taxes, whereas defeat would lead to the taxes tripling.

Swades (2004)

Ashutosh Gowariker helmed this feature starring Shah Rukh Khan, which narrated the story of a NASA employee who comes back to India and finds his childhood nurse's village afflicted by numerous problems.

Sonchiriya (2019)

Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, this film revolved around dacoits in the 70s haunting the ravines and villages of Chambal.

Laapataa Ladies (2024)

Kiran Rao directed this film about two newly-wed brides who get interchanged whilst on en route to their marital home.

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