Homebound helmer Neeraj Ghaywan has criticised TVF’s comedy series Panchayat for the consistent absence of lower-caste and Muslim characters.
During a conversation with Yuvaa, Ghaywan said that while he admired TVF’s work and considered its shows genuinely well made, he took issue with what he described as upper-caste-centric stories.
“Take TVF, and they have been doing very good. And they have shows are genuinely very good. And that’s exactly why I have the problem. It’s made by IIT-ians, who are supposed to be the most educated lot in this country. And every single show of theirs, since inception, has always had upper-caste characters. Not a single lower-caste person, not a single Muslim.”
Referring to Panchayat, which is set in rural India, Ghaywan said, “That you call this celebrated TV show of yours, Panchayat, which everybody thinks is the most authentic representation of villages. No, it isn’t. You cannot create an entire village where only upper-caste names exist.”
“Now, you, as this educated person, cannot take that responsibility. And, like, you know, if some old-timer makes a film, I get it. But, like, come on, try to understand this, you’re educated, right? You cleared IIT, didn’t you? You studied engineering for four years. So you should be able to understand that maybe it is not right to show it that way,” Ghaywan added.
Season 1 of Panchayat premiered on Prime Video in April 2020. The show won the inaugural best web series (OTT) award at the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in 2024.
The fifth season of Panchayat is set to drop on Prime Video later this year. Ghaywan’s latest social drama Homebound was India’s entry for Oscars in the Best International Feature. While the film made it to the shortlist, it couldn’t earn a place in the top five nominees.