Kohrra (2021 -): This masterful police procedural uses the Punjab countryside to unravel a grim murder mystery. It peels back layers of toxic masculinity and generational trauma. The atmospheric fog acts as a metaphor for the secrets buried within dysfunctional rural families and institutions. (Image: Instagram)
CAT (2022): Randeep Hooda delivers a career-best performance as a former informant pulled back into the drug-laden underworld of rural Punjab. The series provides a raw look at the intersection of local politics, cross-border trafficking, and the lasting scars of the 1980s insurgency. (Image: Instagram)
Udta Punjab (2016): A landmark film that dared to address the state’s drug epidemic head-on. By intertwining the lives of a rockstar, a migrant laborer, and a doctor, it portrays the harsh reality of how substance abuse has infiltrated the quietest corners of the pind. (Image: Instagram)
Amar Singh Chamkila (2024): Imtiaz Ali’s biopic of the legendary folk singer captures the soul of rural Punjab through its music. It highlights the tension between artistic freedom and religious orthodoxy, showing how Chamkila’s “raw” lyrics resonated deeply with the masses in a small-town. (Image: Instagram)
Maachis (1996): A hauntingly beautiful film set against the backdrop of the 1980s Punjab uprising. It tells the story of how innocent youth were driven to militancy by systemic injustice. The film remains a poignant reminder of the state’s most turbulent and painful era. (Image: Instagram)
Pinjar (2003): Set during the Partition, this film depicts the harrowing impact of communal violence on rural border villages. It focuses on the strength of a woman who survives abduction, offering a deeply emotional look at the displacement and identity crises of that time. (Image: Instagram)
Punjab 1984 (2014): A heart-wrenching drama that follows a mother’s search for her missing son during the height of the insurgency. The film captures the quiet desperation of rural homes caught in the crossfire between the authorities and militants, emphasizing the human cost of conflict. (Image: Instagram)
