A film set in rural India would typically depict agrarian society where agriculture is not just a means of production or form of property, but also a way of life. The portrayal would show agricultural land as the most important productive resource, with highly unequal distribution of landholdings among households. The film would likely reveal that while some families are well-to-do landowners, the majority live just above or below the poverty line.

The cultural aspects would include festivals related to agriculture and practices that reflect how culture and social structure are closely bound up with agricultural and the agrarian way of life. The film would also depict the complex relationship between caste and class, where major landowning groups belong to the upper castes.

Regarding realism, such portrayals are largely realistic as they capture how structural and cultural changes are closely interrelated. However, films may sometimes dramatise conflicts. The context notes that in many areas, 40 to 50 per cent of families do not own any land, making them dependent on agricultural labour.

Regarding recent films set in rural areas, fewer such films may be explained by the fact that urbanisation is growing. While 69 per cent of India's people still live in rural areas (2011 Census), the film industry may be increasingly urban-focused, reflecting changing societal priorities.