Actor Vinod Suryavanshi, best known for a supporting role in the popular show Panchayat, recently opened up about facing extreme poverty and caste discrimination while growing up in Karnataka. The actor talked about how the caste divide still exists in his native village, while talking about some of the harsh realities he faced growing up there.
Vinod Suryavanshi on casteism and poverty
In an interaction with Siddharth Kannan on his podcast, Vinod spoke about his ancestral village in Karnataka and how growing up there made him aware of the caste divide. “In my village in Karnataka, casteism is still prevalent, even today. There are two areas in that village — one for the upper castes and one for the lower castes. The area where the Dalits live is separate from the village. Once, when I went to the village with my father, I was 12 years old and ate at a hotel, we had to wash our own plates and also pay for the food. There is still a temple where we are not allowed to go in my village,” he said.
Vinod also spoke about growing up in extreme poverty. The actor added that while most people become happy when festivals arrive, he and his family would cry because they could not celebrate them the way everyone else did. “I have often seen my parents cry. When festivals came, I would wonder why they were coming at all—why Diwali was coming. Festivals made us cry more because we could never celebrate them like others. Our condition was very bad. If someone gave us something, only then could we celebrate—that was our reality,” he added.
The actor revealed that he did many odd jobs while struggling as an actor, including that of a watchman, which left blisters on his feet. Vinod said the experience taught him society judges a person by their work, adding how ‘the bigger the work, the more respect they get’ is true for most people.
Vinod Suryavanshi’s acting journey
Vinod began his acting journey with small roles in films like Pari and Satyameva Jayate. In 2024, he found his breakthrough with a small role of the new Panchayat sachiv in the Prime Video web series Panchayat. In the same year, he played a cop in the Netflix show Ye Kaali Kaali Aankhein. This was followed by prominent roles in successful films like Joly LLB 3 and Thamma.
