Ishwak
Singh’s
earnestness
and
the
rustic
energy
of
his
mates
keeps
Mitti
engaging,
even
when
it
starts
to
get
preachy,
observes
Deepa
Gahlot.
If
not
mainstream
Bollywood,
at
least
through
streaming
platforms,
urban
India
is
getting
a
look
at
how
rural
India
functions.
The
Panchayat
seasons
and
others
like
it
present
a
humorous
and
sanitised
picture
of
Indian
villages;
a
new
show,
Mitti:
Ek
Nayi
Pehchaan
presents
a
slightly
more
realistic
portrayal.
The
show,
directed
by
Gaganjeet
Singh
and
Alok
Kumar
Dwivedi,
sees
a
mofussil
region
that
has
access
to
modern
technology
but
is
reluctant
to
change
set
ways.
Young
people
dream
of
going
to
cities
because
agriculture
is
no
longer
financially
sustainable
for
small
land
holdings.
The
graph
of
the
show
is
a
bit
like
the
movie,
Swades.
In
this
one
too,
an
educated
man
with
a
successful
career
returns
to
his
farming
roots
and
brings
about
change
in
the
mindsets
of
the
villagers.
Raghav
(Ishwak
Singh)
works
for
a
Mumbai
advertising
company
where
he
is
a
‘star
employee’,
when
he
gets
news
of
his
grandfather
Sudarshan’s
(Yogendra
Tiku)
death.
His
work,
and
his
relationship
with
Stuti
(Diksha
Juneja)
has
kept
him
so
busy
that
he
neglected
his
family
in
the
small
north
Indian
village
of
Dol
Chhapra.
He
goes
to
the
funeral
of
the
man
who
raised
him,
while
his
parents
were
away
in
the
city,
and
learns
that
his
grandfather
had
taken
a
bank
loan
which
he
was
unable
to
repay.
He
was
being
harassed
by
the
collection
agent
Girdhari
(Sharat
Sonu),
which
could
be
the
reason
for
his
fatal
heart
attack.
Sudarshan
did
not
want
to
take
money
from
Raghav
to
pay
off
the
loan.
He
wanted
to
do
it
from
his
own
income
from
the
farm
but
his
experiments
with
‘unnat
kheti
(modern
farming)’
encouraged
by
the
government’s
agriculture
department
had
failed.
Raghav’s
guilt
makes
him
stay
back
in
the
village.
He
cannot
keep
up
with
the
work
from
home
schedule
due
to
connectivity
problems
and
eventually
loses
his
job.
With
the
support
of
his
grandmother
Renuka
(Alka
Amin),
and
two
farm
workers
and
childhood
friends,
Baiju
and
Maahoo
(Pranjal
Patheriya,
Piyush
Kumar),
he
decides
to
make
a
go
of
the
farm
to
fulfill
his
grandfather’s
wishes.
But
initial
failures
are
shattering.
If
it’s
not
a
nasty
village
head
Sujan
Singh
(Devasish
Mishra)
tarranging
to
destroy
his
crop,
it’s
an
act
of
nature.
The
hand
that
is
offered
to
pull
him
out
of
the
swamp
is
that
of
a
bureaucrat,
Kratika
Sinha
(Shruti
Sharma),
one
of
the
good
ones,
who
genuinely
wants
to
help
the
villagers,
and
also
knows
all
about
modern
agriculture.
She
has
also
given
up
a
lucrative
city
career
to
work
in
the
village,
so
Raghav
finds
a
kindred
soul.
The
series
often
dips
into
government
propaganda,
Krishi
Darshan-like
lessons
in
new
farming
methods,
and
agri-entrepreneurship.
But
to
its
credit,
it
does
not
lose
the
thread
of
the
emotional
threads
that
pull
Raghav
from
despair
to
hope.
Sujan
Singh
had
taunted
him
that
there
was
a
big
difference
between
belonging
to
a
village
and
just
visiting.
After
a
few
months,
Raghav
loses
his
attraction
to
the
stress
and
speed
of
city
life,
enjoying
the
‘sukoon‘
of
the
village,
the
warmth
of
family
and
loyalty
of
friends.
The
joy
of
seeing
a
flower
bloom
feels
like
an
achievement
bigger
than
impressing
a
client
with
glib
marketing
slogans.
Ishwak
Singh’s
earnestness
and
the
rustic
energy
of
his
mates
keeps
Mitti
engaging,
even
when
it
starts
to
get
preachy.
It
makes
a
case
for
giving
farmers
the
respect
they
deserve,
just
like
other
professionals
like
doctors
and
engineers.
The
‘desh
badal
raha
hai‘
rhetoric
is
a
bit
overstated,
when
farmers
are
still
dying
by
suicide
all
over
the
country,
but
Raghav’s
struggles
show
that
the
situation
can
improve,
with
the
right
guidance.
It’s
a
pity
that
those
for
whom
the
message
is
meant
probably
won’t
get
to
see
the
OTT
series.
Mitti:
Ek
Nayi
Pehchaan
streams
on
Amazon
Mx
Player.
Mitti:
Ek
Nayi
Pehchaan
Review
Rediff
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