Regular viewers of streaming platforms know by now that “rural life” has become a prominent genre for Indian movies and series. The recent string of web series, especially, strives to shine a light on different aspects of life in India’s villages—while the four-season-strong Panchayat is centred around the local governance system, the newer Gram Chikitsalay shows how healthcare is addressed in villages. Dupahiya, another recent series, shows how the practice of dowry is still casually prevalent among communities in rural areas and towns.
And in all these series, there have been characters, episodes or conversations highlighting farmer issues—crop failure due to weather vagaries, debt and economic losses, inadequate remuneration and lack of investment in agricultural technologies. These subjects are not lost on anyone in the country today. But while they may be subplots in other series or movies, they are brought right to the fore in Mitti: Ek Nayi Pehchaan. The eight-episode series, launched on Amazon MX Player in July, centres around the experiences of a city-based professional who returns to his village and his family’s agricultural roots.
The series begins with Raghav (Ishwak Singh), who works in an advertising company in a big city, returning to his native village after his grandfather’s demise. Raghav’s close relationship with his grandfather (Yogendra Tiku), known in the series only as Dadu, is depicted through a carousel of childhood memories and moments spent in the village.
On reaching the village, Raghav learns that Dadu, a farmer, had taken a loan to invest in modern agricultural practices, which he could not then repay due to crop failures. The pressure of debt and taunts from the recovery agent impacted Dadu’s health, leading to his demise.
At first, Raghav decides to clear his Dadu’s loans and put an end to the matter. But the recovery agent’s insults toward his grandfather trigger in Raghav a different mission: to prove that Dadu was right to take up modern farming, reap a successful harvest and use it to repay the loan. It is at this point that the series takes off.
Much of the series flows linearly: Raghav, despite struggling internally to choose between his life and his grandfather’s dreams, learns the nuances of modern agriculture from some successful cultivators and a helpful local agriculture officer, Kritika Sinha (Shruti Sharma). Having little to no prior agricultural experience, Raghav sees initial failures. But eventually, he cracks the code to success: integration of modern technologies like polyhouses, drones and sensors with the traditional knowledge of land, weather and crops that a seasoned farmer possesses.
His journey, then, resonates with other farmers of the village, who go from ridiculing the city boy’s attempts to emulating them in hopes of success. They even join to form a collective at Raghav’s behest, so they can explore the facets of modern farming together.
As this main plot unfolds, Mitti touches upon many other farming issues—from grave concerns like farmer debt burdens and cases of suicide to bureaucratic corruption, implementation of government policies and even dealing with at-tacks from pests such as locusts. An additional layer is added through the depiction of unemployment in rural areas and migration of youth to cities for jobs. There is an attempt to prove how agriculture, increasingly seen as a stressful, loss-making occupation, can be made profitable with the help of the right technologies and ideas.
Such heavy themes are carried forward brilliantly through the skilled acting and direction. Ishwak Singh is earnest and does well to present Raghav as a calm, honest and determined individual on a mission. A poignant moment in the series is when he tells another character, “Tum apne naam ke aage engineer, doctor, architect laga sakte ho, to main kisan kyun nahin laga sakta? (If you can attach the title of engineer, doctor or architect to your name, why can I not add the prefix of farmer?)”. This line surmises his journey of finding his own identity through his grandfather’s dream.
Equally noteworthy is Shruti Sharma’s restrained but impressive performance as the straightforward agriculture officer, who keeps the storyline grounded. On the other hand, Raghav’s friends and main support system in the village, Maahoo (Piyush Kumar) and Baiju (Pranjal Pateriya), bring some humour into the narrative.
The setting of the village too, strives to inspire people to return from the glitz and fast pace of urban life to a calm, slow and peaceful environment, where social bonds are stronger.
Overall, even in the growing catalogue of rural-themed series available on streaming platforms, Mitti is a breath of fresh air that leaves behind a sweet smell of soil. In an unassuming manner, it presents farming as a dignified, aspirational and even heroic profession, while also helping the audience remember a way of life we have left behind in the pursuit of progress.
This was originally published in the August 16-31, 2025 print edition of Down To Earth