PANCHAYAT S3: TV Review

After a devastating cliffhanger in its second season that cemented its title as one of the most uniquely surprising shows TVF has ever produced, Panchayat returns to the Phulera council office (and so much more) in its third season. While its first two seasons were slice-of-life vignettes of satire and situational comedy, this latest season takes the humor and drama to new heights, with an ambitious, biting, and fiery take on village politics. Although this new season of Panchayat might be its weakest, this series continues to have a level of narrative finesse that few other web shows from India have been able to pull off. With its sense of naturalism and intelligently crafted situational humor, Panchayat navigates its fascinating narrative through the delicate hand of its brilliant writing and performance. Through both its darkest and lightest moments, Panchayat continues to be a show that knows how to walk that fine line, where satire ends and real emotions begin. It’s another wonderful and creatively inspiring season from writer Chandan Kumar and series director Deepak Kumar Mishra that continues to make Panchayat one of the most significant Indian television shows of the moment.

Performances in Panchayat continue to remain incisive, subtle, and eerily natural, with fantastic comedic timing and nuanced turns from the entire ensemble cast. The highlights continue to be the recognizable faces – Raghubir Yadav and Neena Gupta are simply exceptional as Brijbhushan Dubey and Manju Devi, as they settle completely into the skin of these humorous yet shockingly realistic characters. Meanwhile, Chandan Roy and especially Faisal Malik continue to shine as Vikas and Prahlad, respectively, with Malik continuing his character’s emotional arc from the second season in a very fulfilling and grounded way. It’s also worth looking out for Durgesh Kumar as a fantastic Bhushan Sharma and the scene-stealing comic turn from Ashok Pathak as Binod. Jitendra Kumar (the “Jeetu Bhaiya” of it all) and Sanvikaa are also solid here and while their romantic subplot feels tacked on, it continues these characters’ stories in a unique way.

In its third season, Panchayat veers somewhat from its episodic and slice-of-life style, instead taking on a more dramatic and overarching narrative that drives this outing. Despite the change in approach, it works for the show because of the excellent writing and topical subject material, which takes a grounded yet humorous look at everyday politics and policies in the village. Durgesh Kumar’s turn as Bhushan Sharma adds a fantastic sense of tension to the dynamic but the character isn’t just a caricature; there is a real sense of personhood, even as he acts as a foil to the beloved leads. Panchayat is of course great in its moments of hijinks but its emotional inflection points continue to be truly poignant, with Prahlad’s arc honored in an emotionally mature and thematically resonant way. Like the season before it, Panchayat takes another tonal turn in its final moments, opting for a messy cliffhanger which may or may not lead to fulfilling narrative developments in upcoming seasons. However, if the writing of Panchayat continues to be as a full-proof as it has been thus far, then it should set the stage for another awaited and compelling return.