Panchayat: Jitendra Kumar’s show keeps the simplistic approach, is high on emotions

The simplicity is still intact and emotions run high in the third season of “Panchayat”. TVF and Amazon Prime Video’s popular show is back with a new season and it ups the ante with its heartwarming story. The previous two seasons were comical, and simplistic and delivered a slice-of-life tale - highlighting the simplistic village life. In the third season, the stakes are higher as the Panchayat election is around the corner and so, shots are fired, and sides are chosen. And while the premise remains the same- that of Phulera village- the supporting characters are given a bigger arc even while protagonist Abhishek, the secretary or Sachiv ji, comes of age and becomes of Phullera’s own in more ways than one.

Created by Chandan Kumar, Deepak Kumar Mishra and Arunabh Kumar, Panchayat’s simplicity has always stood out. At a time when OTT delivers shows based on complex issues, Panchayat takes you back to a slow- easy life of the 1980s Doordarshan era. That has always been the USP of the show, and has worked immensely with the audience. The third season delves deeper into human emotions and makes it a sensitive, emotional ride. The comedy, both situational and physical, is still intact but with dollops of emotions thrown in between.

The eight-episode series still has its original characters. Abhishek (Jitendra Kumar) is back in Phullera, doing his job as Sachiv ji and has cemented his friendship with Pradhan or Village head (Neena Gupta), her husband (Raghubir Yadav), helper or sahayak (Chandan Roy ) and Prahlad (Faisal Malik). His friendship or fondness for Rinky (Sanvika), Pradhan’s daughter, is also now more pronounced as the two embark on an old-world style romance- still reluctant to fully accept and confess their feelings for each other.

Even though Phullera’s slow life seems to be going smoothly, there are some hurdles that Abhishek, Pradhan and the gang have to encounter. Ahead of the Panchayat elections, Pradhan’s arch nemesis Bhushan (Durgesh Kumar) and his gang prove to be a bigger threat as he plots and plans to bring Pradhan and his gang down. He seeks the help of local MLA Chandrakishore Singh (Pankaj Jha) to bring upheaval in the quaint, quiet Phullera and the MLA willingly agrees as he has old scores to settle.

 The beauty of the show lies in Chandan Kumar’s writing, who brings back the old characters and gives a fresh take to their stories. Having lost his soldier son in war, Prahlad is now battling depression while Abhishek and Rinky’s innocent love brings in sweetness to the story. Chandan Roy’s Vikas remains the simpleton buffoon as he tries to balance his job, marriage and impending fatherhood. While season 2 showed Manju Devi coming on her own and stepping out of the shadow of her husband, in the new season, we see her making crucial decisions and being the brain behind her husband’s political image.

While the backdrop is that of a village, the writer ably highlights mental health, loneliness, financial independence and more through the multiple characters. Scenes featuring Malik and Roy remain the best parts of the show. Khan’s Prahlad has been shown as a jovial man in the past two seasons but in the new season, Malik delivers a stunningly restrained and emotional performance, which tugs at the heartstrings. He is stunning as the depressed, lonely father - who is struggling to come out of grief. So is Roy, whose physical comedy makes you smile.

Gupta, Jitendra Kumar and, Ragubir Yadav - the star and well-known faces of the show, slightly take a backseat as other actors get more scope to perform. And most do.

The show’s camera work, much like TVF’s other shows, is also stunning with several aerial shots of the village. The music by Anurag Saikia is also noteworthy as it builds up the premise of the show well.  (Agencies)

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