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Rural Stories Drive Growth in Indian Film and Streaming
Series such as Panchayat reached the top of India's viewing charts in 2025. Streaming platforms have expanded production of films in local dialects for rural audiences.
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In 2025, the series Panchayat became the most-watched program in India. The show centers on the head of a village council in rural Uttar Pradesh. Stories set in rural India have appeared more frequently in films and at international award ceremonies in recent years. This shift has supported the rise of independent productions focused on countryside settings.
Since 2019, the platform STAGE has produced several hundred films in local dialects. The productions target an audience of 50 million people that the Bollywood industry had largely overlooked. The growth of rural cinema has coincided with the launch of new streaming services that reach viewers outside major cities.
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