Director Neeraj Ghaywan, known for making films like Homebound (2025) and Masaan (2015) which explored the evils of caste in society, recently in an interview spoke about The Viral Fever (TVF’s) acclaimed show Panchayat (2020). The filmmaker discussed how it doesn’t show the reality of Indian villages, as the lead characters are mostly privileged-caste individuals.

In a conversation with We Are Yuvaa, Neeraj praised TVF’s storytelling but also pointed out the flaw in them. “They have shows that 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.”

Citing the example of Panchayat he explained, “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.”

On the work front, Neeraj’s last release was Homebound which was also selected to be India’s official entry for the Oscars.