Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Photos: Instagram/sunita_rajwar
As Kranti Devi in Panchayat, Sunita Rajwar didn’t just play a character—she embodied small-town ambition, middle-class politics, and raw feminine force. Every word she spoke shook the screen.
She didn’t come from privilege—she came from truck rides and theatre tickets. Sunita’s father, a humble driver with a love for movies, gave her dreams a rearview mirror and full throttle.
National School of Drama gave her the craft. Mumbai gave her grit. For years, she was stuck in background roles, sharing rooms and eating packet noodles—but she never stopped showing up.
Typecast as a domestic help for years, Sunita once quit acting altogether. It took Kranti Devi—a loud, unruly village disruptor—to finally turn silence into spotlight.
While TV paid the bills, it was stage that built the actor. From The Last Lear to Neena Gupta’s Surya, her performances were fire-tested long before OTT discovered her.
She wasn’t the lead in Panchayat—but she didn’t need to be. Kranti Devi entered late and left like a storm. Social media took notice. So did the industry.
Sunita didn’t need to ‘act’ like someone from rural India—she was that girl once. From Bareilly to Haldwani, her roots ran as deep as the village she portrayed.
While the memes came fast, what stayed was respect. Her Panchayat performance proved that comic timing and character depth don’t have to be opposites.
From NSD to narrow casting calls, from quitting to comebacks—Sunita’s journey isn’t just about a role. It’s about resilience. And she’s only getting started.