PremiumPanchayat director Deepak Kumar Mishra on pressure, memes, elections and more - ‘We shouldn't get swayed’ | Exclusive
Ahead of Panchayat Season 3, director Deepak Kumar Mishra talks about how eh has pulled off a show for three seasons.
Last Updated: 11.24 PM, May 28, 2024
Only a few shows worldwide can find an audience across age groups, communities, borders, and classes. The content has to be universal, even when the story is deeply rooted in a landscape that could be alien to many. Panchayat on Amazon Prime Video, which now moves to its third season, has been one of those shows. A story about a man who is pushed to the margins when he is posted in a remote village called Phulera in India as the head of their panchayat. The reforms he brings and the coming of age he goes through make the plot but there is a lot more to relish in a story that is not looking at its characters as supporting parts, but shaping them as the leads of their stories. Director Deepak Kumar Mishra who has directed three successful seasons now talks to OTTplay.
Deepak Kumar Mishra On Panchayat Season 3
As Panchayat Season 3 hits Amazon Prime Video today, we sat down with Deepak Kumar Mishra to discuss what has been his experience making a successful show for three long seasons and what he feels most pressured by. The filmmaker, who has been a key player throughout the advent of streaming in India, was very articulate when he spoke about not falling prey to the ‘trend’ culture. This, he says, takes him away from the core strength of the story that he initially set out to tell. Read on to find out everything that Deepak has to say.
When OTTplay asked him about the pressure, nervousness and pulling off Panchayat for 3 seasons, Deepak spoke about how the buzz being created and the show becoming popular didn't sway him away. “The buzz gets created, and things get popular, but creation-wise, we have to remember that we shouldn't get swayed away from what we set out to tell. If one thinks is a hit we shouldn't be doing that again. We think if some lines from the last season have struck the chord then which ones from this season will. So the pressure is that we do not get swayed away by success.”
The Panchayat director added, “The pressure is about keeping the core sense of the show intact. Of course, when the applause intensifies and jokes and memes are made, we think we should do the same things again but then you have to be alert that you do not have to do that; we have to do what the core value of the show is.”
In the conversation further, we asked Deepak Kumar Mishra about Panchayat Season 3 now taking the narrative towards the election and what it was like to find humour in that setup. “When you talk about elections, all of them are funny. I think it fits very easily in that because if you go to the heartland and witness a panchayat election, they are really random. Anything is happening. So it is a humorous situation in itself, so we do not have to think of creating a situation from which I can churn out humour.”
“Any situation that is coming in Phulera, the humour will flow into it organically. Humour comes from the situation, so we cannot say that I will not tap into elections because elections are not funny. Elections happen, they are the reality and there is fun there too. I think that you have to find that blend of how you will do it but it is very achievable,” he added.
Check Out The Conversation Below
About Panchayat Season 3
The story of Phulera continues as Abhishek, aka Sachiv, is transferred after the Vidhayak is insulted in Phulera. The village is moving on from the tragic loss it suffered last season. But the Vidhayak still aims to make their lives hell. Abhishek returns and the village stands against the atrocities of the politician. But wait, there is now a big danger.
Panchayat Season 3 is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else in the world of streaming and films.