Table of Contents
Panchayat is based in a small, imaginary Indian village called Fullera. Mirzapur is centered around a district town in Uttar Pradesh. Kota Factory is located in the tiny town of Kota which made a name for itself for its coaching institutions and Jamtara is based in the actual town of Jamtara in Jharkhand. Gullak is located in a nondescript town in Madhya Pradesh. In India’s OTT universe right now, small towns dominate. Mannphodganj Ki Binny is about dreamy-eyed ‘Binny’ from the suburb of Mannphodganj in erstwhile Allahabad, now Prayagraj.
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A warm hug of nostalgia
The rising fascination for stories from India’s heartland comes with rising internet penetration in the country and the quest to find simplicity and connections in an era where life in the metros is increasingly becoming lonely and alienated. “It reminds the viewers of simpler times. The warm hug of nostalgia, tied with a good story is the secret sauce why these shows are resonating so well (with viewers),” says Himalee Shah, director, Aam Aadmi Family season 4.
Actor Harshita Gaur, who plays Dimpy Pandit in Mirzapur echoes Shah’s sentiment and tells us, “The depiction of small-town life adds authenticity and relatability and portrays cultural nuances which draws them to these shows.”
Feels like home
33-year-old Gaur adds, “Viewers get attracted because they feel this could be happening next door to them.” She says more people resonate with stories from the small towns because “eighty percent of India lives in tier-II and tier-III cities”. “The stories depicted onscreen seem more real to people from these cities which is why they are able to relate more,” she adds.
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Dibyendu Bhattacharya, who plays Inspector Biswa in Jamtara, says, “In a series based on small towns, the hero is a common man. The hero rises from the rural landscape. So it is more relatable and the depiction is authentic.” For the 48-year-old, it is a sense of simplicity and community life that is drawing audiences to narratives coming from the small towns. “All we metropolitan or cosmopolitan people have our roots in villages,” he adds.
Content is King
Director Pratish Mehra says that while is true that the audiences nowadays want to watch something that is a breath of fresh air amid the gore and violence galore onscreen, and at the same time provides them some mental relief from their hectic, urban lifestyles, but at the end of the day, content is king. “The quality of the writing must captivate the audience, compelling them to watch the entire series. Simply setting the story in a small town with relatable characters does not ensure success. However, establishing a strong connection with the audience through relatable characters enhances the viewer’s engagement with the show, contributing significantly to its success.”
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Ahsaas Channa who plays Shivangi Ranawat in Kota Factory too believes that the attraction towards stories coming from small town is more for the quality of writing than just the context. “You have no reason to connect with a JEE aspirant studying for an exam in Kota unless you are one or the parent of one. I think people connect to the show because of its outstanding writing. You could watch a show about a middle-aged police officer in America and find it relatable if it is written well. Relating to small town stories is easier because most of these are based on lives of people with modest lifestyles.”
Daily soaps to OTT
When asked about the appeal of slice-of-life shows set in small towns, Shrivastava, who portrayed Sunny Mondal in Jamtara, concurs that their popularity stems from providing a refreshing contrast to the prevalent gore and violence in many OTT platform series.
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Sharing his views on how the OTT space is transitioning from an obsession with sex and violence to slice-of-life shows such as Panchayat and Kota Factory, the actor says, “Initially, the audience was shifting from TV serials to OTT. They could see things like sex and violence which were not shown on TV freely. So, that was new. The daily soap audience had freedom of watching whatever they wanted. But since the audience consumed the same kind of content in plenty during the pandemic, they are now tired of that.”
So, will fatigue set in soon in this genre as well?
Shrivastava says even slice-of-life narratives may get tiring if makers become formulaic. “When one thing starts working, everyone wants to make the same thing. So the fun ends. But as long as people continue to craft stories that are meaningful, and from the heart, good content will keep coming.” he says.
Mehta too feels that if similar content is made with the same approach, then it might get boring. He, however, says, “We’ve seen innumerable love stories being made in India. And people have enjoyed watching them through decades.” “The difference is in the approach and how you are able to strike a chord with the audience through characters. All these factors combined determine whether a show will work or not. Jab take story mein dum nahin hai, show nahi chal sakta,” he signs off.
