PremiumPanchayat Season 3 Review - Phulera sticks to the comedy we love, and serves intriguing drama we didn't expect
Panchayat 3 Review: The core strength of Panchayat comes from the fact that Deepak Kumar Mishra and Chandan Kumar know the level one should cook a narrative and never try to go over ambitious.
Last Updated: 11.11 AM, May 28, 2024
Panchayat Season 3 Review: Months after the death of Prahlad’s (Faisal Malik) son, who lost his life on the border, Phulera is moving on. A library in the name of the martyred son is erected with his idol right across the Panchayat office. Sachiv, aka Abhishek (Jitendra Kumar), is transferred from Phulera, and now Pradhan (Raghubir Yadav), Manju Devi (Neena Gupta), and Vikas (Chandan Roy) are all living in the sadness of losing Abhishek to the Vidhayak’s battle. Soon, Phulera is up and fighting as the Vidhayak tries his best to teach them a lesson but ends up being the loser, as always. But wait, there is a bigger enemy. Phulera is now entering serious waters: the war we call elections.
Panchayat Season 3 Review: Analysis
Amid the pool of blood, thrillers, and gore, we found a show in 2019 that spoke of a boy who was pushed into Heartland India as the head of Gram Panchayat for a village called Phulera. He aspired to something bigger, but all his fate could manage was a small office on the boundary of a remote village, the way to which was more potholes than road. But eventually, the show grew, and we saw him burying his roots in the soil there, becoming one with the system, the people, and everything that the landscape stood for. As we now move to season 3, the world of Panchayat has suffered a massive loss and a dent that will shape the future of the show.
With Chandan Kumar back on the writing and Deepak Kumar Mishra taking the director’s chair for the third time, Panchayat Season 3 grows in a very personal way. The world is now not just that of a light-hearted comedic tale of a village too comfortable being in the unprogressive pool and a man from the outside learning their ways and teaching them some. The narrative has now seen the death of a son from the defense force. So now, the tonality cannot just be that of comedy or light-hearted humor. Melancholy is now in the air, and the main character is not just grieving the loss of his only family member but also slowly letting that grief consume him rapidly to an extent where even he might take a drastic step if not looked after.
So now you know how much is at stake in Panchayat Season 3 as the main conflict also runs parallel. We see the Vidhayak trying to make the lives of the people of Phulera hell while Bhushan and his two henchmen support him. The writing in season three is very balanced. Kumar and Mishra understand they now have a very complex blend of emotions at hand, not of the kind that will have a momentary effect. It is a recurring impact, more of a dent that cannot be repaired. So if many complain about the tonality of the show going serious suddenly, I won't be shocked, but there is indeed no other way to approach this story. Because everything is serious: a father on the route to self-destruction, a powerful politician with weapons on doorsteps. How do you continue with the ‘light-hearted’ label?
The writing and execution in Panchayat are well-edged, researched, and rooted in its comfort. But that's the best part about it because the makers understand what their audience wants and never go over-ambitious. They know that elections are a real-world phenomenon; they know this might coincidentally be a real story of a place. They are clever to talk of a place that revolts against the minister who thinks he owns them. They are clever to talk about the ones from the village trying to scam the government by misusing the schemes launched to benefit the people with no roof. There is a three-dimensional approach that can be felt and seen, which is indeed commendable.
Where the writing flickers is when it tries to look at a love story in a very token presentation of sorts. It is too slow for one to invest in and is inconsequential in the scheme of things. Or when the makers decide to bring some old characters back (and you will be happily surprised to see one), but it's placed too late in the narrative. His early arrival could have even helped the love story flourish well. Kudos to whoever staged, conceptualized and choreographed the chaos at the end of season 3. That elevates everything to a higher level, and the twist makes you wait for season 4.
Talking of performances, Faisal Malik is a star, and someone should give a good trigger to his career beyond Panchayat because the man has range. Jitendra Kumar is now so organically blended in the material that Panchayat offers that maybe his real self might end up looking like a performance. His longing for Phulera, a place that he once wanted to run away from, is indeed a full circle, and the actor enacts it well. Chandan Roy as Vikas continues to be his brilliant self and has an entirely new episode to his life.
The most rewarding and endearing character of them all is that of Manju Devi, played by Neena Gupta. There is an unsaid synergy between her and Abhishek. In a way, they both empowered each other. Before he came, she was an underconfident woman who didn't even know the National Anthem. He hated the place. He taught her the National Anthem, and she made him understand the landscape he was in charge of now. Manju Devi this season has completely found herself and is the real Pradhan, and it is a brilliant character journey. Do I need to tell you how impeccable Neena Gupta is as Manju Devi?
Panchayat Season 3 has a very interesting music album. The production team sticks to the core and does a great job by doing so. Everything falls in place to give a season that moves away from the already explored tone but also reminds you that this is very much the same show you loved.
Panchayat Season 3 Review: Final Words
Panchayat Season 3 might end up being one of those seasons where the audience feels the show has moved far away from what it promised, but this is a step in the right direction, a future that has some very interesting things waiting for us. Swanand Kirkire is here, after all!
Panchayat season 3 hits Amazon Prime Video on May 28, 2024. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.