Neeraj Ghaywan slams TVF show Panchayat: ‘Can’t create a village where only upper-caste names exist'

Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan criticized TVF's Panchayat for lacking representation, stating it features only upper-caste characters despite the rural setting.

Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan, whose last film Homebound touched upon inequality and the caste divide deeply rooted in India, recently expressed his discontent with TVF's much-loved show Panchayat and how the show's lead characters are only upper-caste individuals.

'TVF always had upper-caste characters'

Neeraj Ghaywan slams TVF show Panchayat.

In a conversation with Yuvaa, he said, “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. 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.”

'Panchayat isn't an authentic representation of villages'

Panchayat is one of TVF's most successful shows. It premieres on Amazon Prime Video and stars Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, among others, in lead roles. The show has had four seasons so far. It premiered in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown and became one of the most-loved web shows on streaming platforms.

About Neeraj Ghaywan

Neeraj Ghaywan started his career assisting filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) and Ugly (2013). He made his directorial debut in 2015 with Masaan, which received widespread acclaim and won two prizes at the Cannes Film Festival. After Masaan, he directed Homebound (2025). The film was India's official entry for the Oscars but did not make it to the shortlist. Despite receiving highly positive critical reviews, the film turned out to be a major box-office disappointment, earning less than ₹5 crore against a reported budget of over ₹25 crore.