Indian Films in Small Towns:
Small towns and hamlets tucked away in the remotest corners of the country and yet they have a mass appeal that turns any Bollywood film into a blockbuster. Long gone are the days when cities and lives in the metro would guarantee a hit. Indian films set in small towns that have global appeal is the trending wave across the country.
1. Peepli Live
Peepli Live released in the year 2010 under the Aamir Khan Productions. The film garnered much appreciation from all corners. The movie is a satire based on the suicides by farmers that have been plaguing India for years now.
Starring: Raghubir Yadav, Omkar Das Manikpuri, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Naseeruddin Shah, Shalini Vatsa
Director: Anusha Rizvi
2. Gangs of Wasseypur
Gangs of Wasseypur was a much-applauded crime film based in the small town of Bihar. A story of a power struggle between 3 crime families and the politics therein, the movie is a 2 part cult classic. The 1st part was released in 2012 while the 2nd part released in 2014.
Starring: Manoj Bajpai, Jaideep Ahlawat, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi, Piyush Mishra, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Richa Chadda, Reemma Sen
Director: Anurag Kashyap
3. Ishqiya
Ishqiya was based in the town of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and is a black comedy. The movie earned much acclaim for its plot and cinematography.
Starring: Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
4. Swades
Swades released in the year 2004. It was based on the real-life NRI couple who returned to their home town.
Starring: Shahrukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal
Director: Ashutosh Gowarikar
5. Sui Dhaaga
Sui Dhaaga released in the year 2018 and was based on the life of a small-town couple who run a tailor shop and dreams of making it big in the clothing business.
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Varun Dhawan
Director: Sharat Katariya
6. Stree
Stree released in the year 2018 and is based on an urban legend about a spirit that knocks the doors of people’s homes at night. The movie received phenomenal success across the world.
Starring: Rajkumar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Director: Amar Kaushik
7. Toilet Ek Prem Katha
Toilet Ek Prem Katha released in the year 2017 and was the cute comedy story that unfurls in every small town in the morning across India.
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar
Director: Shree Narayan Singh
8. Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Dum Laga Ke Haisha released in the year 2015 and was a fantastic romantic comedy that left people in splits.
Starring: Ayushman Khurana, Bhumi Pednekar
Director: Sharat Katariya
These Indian films set in small towns that have global appeal have broken all well-established rules of commercial cinema, bringing a whiff of fresh air.
