While Panchayat is an out-and-out comedy with a light heart, Nirmal Pathak has a darker, melancholic undertone. Where Panchayat makes you laugh at the village, Nirmal Pathak makes you cry for the protagonist who can no longer fit in anywhere—neither in Mumbai nor in Varanasi.
During COVID-19, millions of educated professionals living in metros were forced to return to their villages. For many, it was a culture shock. For Nirmal, it is a philosophical crisis. The series resonates because it speaks to every first-generation urbanite who feels like a foreigner in their own hometown.
The plot unfolds in the fictional village of , located in the unruly Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh. Nirmal Pathak, a highly respected professor of Political Science at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, lives a life of intellectual privilege. He is a staunch left-leaning intellectual, critical of capitalism, casteism, and the rising tide of majoritarian politics.