panchayat nepali movie review

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A tale of regret and remorse

Anish Ghimire

With the picturesque landscape of a rustic village in western Nepal in 1975 as the setting, director Shivam Adhikari crafts a powerful and thought-provoking narrative in ‘Panchayat’. The film delves deep into the intricacies of tradition, morality, and the human condition.

Central to this tale is Thuloba, portrayed masterfully by Saroj Khanal, the revered head of the village, known for his wisdom and humility. He wields authority over the villagers, and they abide by his every word. The story unfolds when Thuloba’s son impregnates a woman before marriage, inciting the entire village to turn against her. The villagers hurl stones and attempt to cast her out, as shown at the beginning of the movie. However, it is Thuloba’s act of compassion in dignifying the woman and making her his daughter-in-law that forms the crux of the narrative. This act, while controversial, wins the hearts of the villagers and sets the stage for the exploration of moral dilemmas and redemption.

Parallel to this, we meet Kopila (portrayed by Neeta Dhungana), who stands in stark contrast to Thuloba. She is a young girl on the cusp of womanhood, slowly awakening to her own sexuality. Her curiosity about intimacy is piqued by conversations with her married friend, which eventually leads her to explore her own body. The contrast between her innocence and her burgeoning curiosity is beautifully portrayed. However, her journey takes an unexpected turn when she experiences her first menstruation. Kopila is made to stay in a goat’s shed for 22 days, enduring loneliness and emotional distress, effectively portraying the challenges faced by young girls during this traditional isolation. The director has unflinchingly shown the emotions carried by Kopila, which are loneliness, fear, and emotional desolation.

The narrative reaches a turning point when Kopila bathes in a nearby pond. As she undresses, feelings of arousal overwhelm her. Thuloba, who coincidentally arrives at the same pond, is drawn into an intimate encounter with Kopila. The aftermath is a haunting portrayal of guilt and remorse, with both characters suffering deeply. Thuloba’s physical and emotional deterioration is particularly moving, while Kopila’s silence speaks volumes about her inner torment.

The actors deliver outstanding performances, portraying the silent pain of their characters with subtlety. Details like the shaky hands of Thuloba when he meets Kopila in a puja and when he tries to touch her feet, she hides her legs away, convey the intensity of their emotions. We then see Thuloba in deep worry as his reputation is at risk.

The narrative takes a darker turn as Kopila finds herself pregnant and desperately seeks refuge in Thuloba. On the morning of Laxmi Puja, she runs towards Thuloba seeking some homage, but Thuloba shakes in fear and tries to hurl Kopila away by saying, “Go away,” Kopila clearly seeing no way out, asks, “But where should I go?” To that, he replies, “Go where you find peace,” As she runs away in desperation, Thuloama, the wife of Thuloba (played by Rupa Rana), who heard the entire conversation, provides advice for her husband. She becomes a voice of reason as she persuades her husband to marry Kopila in a bid to preserve the family’s honour.

The heaviness fading from Thuloba’s face is heartwarming as he thanks his wife for her sacrifice. But as he runs towards Kopila, he finds out that she did indeed take the path where she could have found peace. Surrounded by the villagers, Koipla is seen hanging by a tree near the pond, and her parents are wailing in great agony. Thuloba quietly looks at the casualties caused by his decisions and walks away, filled with guilt and remorse.

The movie is a harrowing exploration of tradition, morality, and the human spirit. It boldly confronts taboo subjects and their consequences within the context of rural Nepal. The film’s awards at the San Francisco Film Festival in 2018, including Best Foreign Language Feature and the Best Actress award for Neeta Dhungana, underscore its impact and significance.

The film’s use of sound and music is both evocative and effective, enhancing the emotional depth of the unfolding scenes. While there are occasional issues with dubbing, the overall impact remains powerful.

Dhungana’s performance as Kopila is excellent, capturing the remorse of a village girl convincingly. Similarly, Khanal’s transition from a respected leader to a troubled soul was portrayed with great skill.

Shivam Adhikari has put together his resources skillfully, and he is smart about which scenes should be long and which scenes should be short. But at times, the movie does feel a little slow-paced. An example of this is the opening scene where the villagers are chasing the girl—it seems to go on forever.

The film also immerses the audience in the rural village of western Nepal, using authentic language and historical accuracy to transport viewers to the mid-70s. The incorporation of actual footage from the era further adds to the film’s authenticity.

All in all, ‘Panchayat’ is a raw and heart-wrenching tale that leaves us pondering over the choices we make, the complexities of tradition, and the far-reaching consequences of our actions. It is a poignant reminder of the enduring power of storytelling to shed light on the human condition.

Director: Shivam Adhikari

Language: Nepali

Cast: Neeta Dhungana, Saroj Khanal, Rupa Rana, Jahanwi Basnet

Duration: 2 hours 18 minutes

Available on: YouTube

Anish Ghimire Ghimire is the Culture and Lifestyle Editor at the Post. He is also the author of 'A Walk Away From Home' and 'The Stardust In Us'.

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Based in Nepalese panchayat system. Based in Nepalese panchayat system. Based in Nepalese panchayat system.

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• Trivia Official submission of Nepal for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 91st Academy Awards in 2019.
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Directed by Shivam Adhikari

A film that revolves around a girl who confronts social taboos of the Chhaupadi tradition, which prohibits Hindu women and girls from participating in normal family activities while menstruating as they are considered “impure”. Set in the seventies, the film’s title refers to Nepal’s Panchayat system of self-rule, which was abolished in 1990.

Neeta Dhungana Saroj Khanal Rupa Rana

Director Director

Shivam Adhikari

Writer Writer

Kalawati Films

Nepal Niger

History Drama

Releases by Date

31 dec 2017, releases by country.

138 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Persimmon ★★★★

Using this as a Substitute for TVF & Prime's PANCHAYAT [Season: 01 02 03]

Being very honest, I am not a big fan of American Sitcoms like Friends, The Office, BBT, Sheldon, HIMYM (these two are still fine),but I never found them as funny as some people think, I believe the main reason is I do not relate to their humor and the style of Comedy, It is a very Subjective thing, and then for a person like me there are shows like Panchayat, where it always feels like home What makes Panchayat special is it's Simplicity, from it's writing to it's making everything feels real and authentic, Season 1 begins with Abhishek's introduction to the Village Phulera, and we start…

Review by Shivam Vij ★★★★½

Logging for Panchayat season 3. Last episode didn't make a lot of sense, but overall really liked it. Covers all emotions

Review by Ankit Raj ★★★★★

Panchayat season 3 can also be called as gangs of Fullera

Review by Bhaskar shukla ★★★★★

Logging for Panchayat series. The main criticism I am seeing for season 3 is that it is no longer that wholesome anthology type series and for that my answer is, it is not practically possible to pull off so many seasons just on small things done in villages,they needed a bigger narrative and the most realistic and biggest thing in villages is elections. So the tonal shift and introduction of a main antagonist is very important if they want to run it for a long duration. The MVP was def. BAM BAHADUR, what a character, Maza AA gya. Prahalad ji was the main point of focus in this season and rightfully so because of previous season ending, still my favourite character is Vikas Shukla, man is a gem 💎

Overall a must watch with family

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Panchayat, Nepal’s Movie Nomination at Oscars 2019

Continuing its 20-year-long journey with the Oscars Academy Awards, Nepal is back again with its contender for the 2019 Academy Awards Foreign Language-Oscars.

Out of three initial submissions, Shivam Adhikari’s Nepali historical drama Panchayat secured its place as Nepal’s nomination at the international film festival – The Oscars.

Samten Bhutia’s war-drama Tandro and My Love Promise for Kathmandu were the other two proposed initially.

As a story revolving around or surrounding the mid ‘30s background, Panchayat features the story of the head of a village panchayat, who is proven guilty of the crime he commits.

“A majority of mainstream cinemas released commercially do not match the level of storytelling and technical finesse that we seek. We’ve selected Panchayat this year. It is definitely better than the other two submissions,” Chiranjivi Guragain , Secretary of the Foreign Language Oscars Selection Committee, said in a statement.

“Most of the producers are well aware that their films won’t make the final cut. But we have to choose one anyway,” Chiranjivi adds.

However, Chiranjivi is doubtful on whether Panchayat, though better than submissions, would feature in the top five in the competition.

He was little hopeful that the movie would at least make it through the second round.

To make it more effective, the producers of the move are currently working on technical improvements and sound design for the movie before submitting it to the competition.

Meanwhile, Director of the movie is confident about his product.

“Panchayat might be a story from Nepal, but the emotions it invokes are universal. I am sure that the judges will be moved by the story. And if that happens, we might just make history,” says Adhikari .

Sharing his thoughts about the movie, he went on to say that “the collective conscience of that period was seldom explored in cinema and would make a good story.”

Though there are many movies that performed well at the Nepali Box Office , Panchayat grabbed the rare opportunity of getting featured in Oscars.

Let’s hope Panchayat will perform its best to take the Nepali cinema and its reputation to the next stage at the international level through Oscars 2019. All the best Nepal!

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About: Panchayat (film)

Panchayat (Nepali:पंचायत) is a 2017 Nepalese drama social film, directed and written by Shivam Adhikari and produced by Sushanta Shrestha and Sankhar Shrestha, under the banner Kalawati Films with NepalFlix and Hetauda Movies. The film is based on panchayat system in Nepal and it is mainly aimed at women and the film is set in 1974. The film stars Neeta Dhungana in the lead role along with Saroj Khanal, Rupa Rana, Ganesh Giti, Jahanwi Basnet and Bishal Pahari. It was selected as the Nepalese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

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'Panchayat’ review: A peek into India’s hinterland, sans the overdramatisation

The 8-episode series, created by The Viral Fever, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video

The small-town/village drama from the Hindi hinterland has almost peaked in films, even web-series, over the last five years. But go deeper and there are a gazillion stories waiting to be told. They need not be extraordinary, but isn’t that’s what life is about -finding the interesting in the ordinary. Created by The Viral Fever (TVF), Amazon Prime Video Original, Panchaya t, an eight-episode series, through the journey of city-bred protagonist Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar), sketches the life in a village and tries to build on instances that may seem inconsequential but are important to those living it.

In lack of a better job opportunity, Abhishek has joined as a secretary of a panchayat office in a remote village, Phulera, of Uttar Pradesh’s Baliya district. The decision has been taken with much contemplation. In the beginning of the series, he rues to his friend (a brief part played by Biswapati Sarkar) about his failing to procure a better placement in college that wasn’t as fancy as his friend’s, who would be working in a multinational company with a Rs 12 lakh per annum package. What he has instead got is a job that was easy-to-crack with a salary of Rs 20,000 a month.

The vocation of either of their academic courses is not mentioned. Perhaps, because it doesn’t really matter what they studied; people with higher, specialised courses opt for low-paying jobs because the options are limited and jobs are few. The show doesn’t delve deep into it, but it’s understandable.  

“But you will get a chance to see the real India, the rural India,” the friend convinces Abhishek, insisting, “You will get a chance to become the Mohan Bhargava of Swades , develop roads and install hand-pumps.” Abhishek would take up the job eventually, but not because he is convinced with his friend’s reasoning, but because he doesn’t have an option. He would have preferred a regular employment in the familiar confines of a city. He will keep trying though to get back to the life he wants, the dream job that may come by preparing for the common aptitude test (CAT).

But before that, he has to put up with the idiosyncrasies of the people he has just got acquainted with in Phulera. Brij Bhushan (Raghubir Yadav) who is happily serving as the pradhan of the panchayat even though the seat has been won by his wife Manju Devi (Neena Gupta) after the government’s reservation for women in the previous election; the inimitable good guy, Vikas (Chandan Roy), the office attendant; the deputy pradhan (Faisal Malik).

Panchayat does not go for dramatic moments that would bring in drastic changes in the arc of any of its characters. It focuses, instead, on the regular life – like having instant noodles in the busy-ness of the day; the daily grind – something as simple as explaining to your mom on the phone your daily routine and diet; the idea of ‘hang in there’ for some more time no matter how overbearing life seems. The highlights, the crowning moments, are culled from these occurrences. But while the series sets out to paint a picture of what a simpler life in an Indian microcosmic world means, it does not forget to underline the loneliness of its protagonist amid its over-zealous inhabitants. He is still affected by the social media posts of his friends partying on weekends in the city life that he has left behind just to ensure a job security.

The show also does not overlook the deep-seated patriarchy, the male ego that hurts in minute instances no matter where you live or what your achievements are, the class and caste divide, the prevalence of dowry, the petty politics and much more.

But some moments are deeply resonant, elevated by Anurag Saikia’s soothing music. Villagers are fearful of that spreading tree with deep roots on an isolated path leading to the village. They consider it haunted. The myth behind it has to be busted and how. A water tower, something akin to the one in Sholay , is the best place to give a ringside view of the entire village. There is a certain sense of compulsion to keep nostalgia alive by protecting materialistic things like an ancestral lock. The show thrives in some of these moments, but withers in few when it starts advocating ideas. But those are rare and thus do not harm the overall simplistic atmosphere of the show.

However, what bothers is that the simplicity is taken too seriously. The city-bred and hopefully an aware youngster, in pursuit of a life he wants, does not seem to question enough and when and if he does, it seems too late. Also, for a village that has a woman as a pradhan, the screen time given to her is miniscule. That is not just a waste of Gupta’s talent but also a missed opportunity to create a wholesome show that could have gone deeper into analysing the village life.

Series: Panchayat

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

Written by: Chandan Kumar

Directed by: Deepak Kumar Mishra

Starring: Jitendra Kumar, Raghubir Yadav, Neena Gupta

Rating: 3/5

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Panchayat Review: A Flawless TVF Show That Reclaims Rural India From The Movies

Director: Deepak Kumar Mishra Writer: Chandan Kumar Cast: Jitendra Kumar , Raghuvir Yadav, Chandan Roy, Neena Gupta, Faisal Malik Streaming On: Amazon Prime Video

Perhaps the most fertile genre in the Hindi web space today is the Middling Indian Student Syndrome. Its acronym, MISS, is lyrically appropriate, because these shows are based on young boys who miss the one-percenter bus. (Not girls, mind you, because ambition is still primarily a male birthright in small-town India). These boys are neither here nor there: Not smart or ruthless enough to cut throats in the academic rat race, and not timid or dense enough to completely fail the system. "Enough" is their villain: They are tender, but not enough. They are driven, but not enough. They make for the most uncomfortable, complex and, by extension, the most cinematic manifestation of peer pressure. Take the Honest Indian Education Trilogy ™: Middling Akash from  Laakhon Mein Ek S01  grew into middling Vaibhav from  Kota Factory , who grew older to become middling Ankit in  Hostel Daze . The ecosystems follow natural progression: pre-coaching-class (Akash) to coaching-class (Vaibhav) to college (Ankit). Perhaps it's only logical that the next phase of the MISS universe – the first job – is the most rewarding of them all.

Panchayat , created by the first movers of the Hindi webspace (TVF), introduces us to Abhishek Tripathi, who is not so much a protagonist as a mental culmination of not-enoughness. Abhishek was Ankit a few years ago, Vaibhav some years before that and Akash in his childhood. Naturally then, his first job after engineering college is not work but "work ex," a means to an academic end (MBA). One of many remarkable things about Panchayat is the form of this job. There were several left-of-field choices: Call center, advertising, marketing, film production house, teaching, assistant to regional manager of a paper sales office. But the makers – writer Chandan Kumar and director Deepak Kumar Mishra – opt for grassroots India. Abhishek takes up a modest government post: Secretary of a panchayat office in a remote Uttar Pradesh village called Phulera. Contrary to popular opinion (and storytelling), Abhishek's situation is not a cultural gimmick. He is precisely the kind of average student who wakes up too late in college and spends the rest of his young adulthood playing catch-up in the CTC-package game. It is entirely believable that Abhishek would rather work in a village at a monthly salary of 20k than sit idle in a city under the shadow of his fancy "placement" friends. A "gap year" doesn't look good on the CAT registration form; it sounds even worse in an IIM personal interview.

In a way, Phulera is Abhishek's version of a 'punishment posting' – he must have grown up on mainstream films about promising cops getting transferred to obscure villages for ruffling too many feathers. Which is also to say that his gaze best captures the way urban moviegoers and web show audiences tend to interpret rural life. This is cleverly reflected in the show's opening-credits sequence: A dusty, sepia-tinted montage of village routines. The grainy filter and period-style theme evoke a dated image of an India that our palettes have long been conditioned to associate with thakurs, dacoits and reincarnation sagas. It's what Abhishek expects, too, but the reality – a disarming melange of simple pleasures and fragile egos – is what defines  Panchayat.

Speaking of films, in the first episode of  Panchayat , Abhishek's friend jokingly greets him as Mohan Bhargava: a nod to the famous NRI who went from snob to do-gooder and revolutionized a village with his NASA-scientist ways. Swades remains Hindi cinema's foremost symbol of the barbie-in-hinterland template. But narratives like Swades , even Article 15 to a degree, hinge on the conscience of dormant heroism. A version of Hollywood's white-saviour syndrome, these heroes, disillusioned by the dysfunctionality of their adopted environment, are morally driven to affect change. Panchayat doesn't pretend to be half as dramatic. It is in fact driven by a self-centered young man who is in no mood to be a preacher. All he wants to do is crack the CAT and get out of there. What Panchayat so perceptively does is depict social change as an incidental product of Abhishek's selfishness. He is unresponsive to Phulera's lazy backwardness – unless, however, he has something to gain. For instance, Abhishek sets out to debunk the myth of a haunted banyan tree in the second episode. In the process, he schools the villagers about superstition. It's a nice victory, but it only happens because Abhishek wants the last solar lamp of the village to be installed at his office-cum-home rather than at the tree. In another episode, Abhishek inspires his boss, the pradhaan (Raghuvir Yadav), to make a difficult leadership decision about population control only because he is wary of being suspended by the district superintendent. In an excellently performed episode, he inadvertently highlights the ills of dowry by puncturing the ego of an arrogant groom (Asif Khan; deserves special mention) who wants Abhishek's favourite chair. In yet another, he angrily inspires a woman to overcome the ingrained patriarchy of her surroundings only because she taunts him about his own career. Every episode, under the facade of its non-hero's personality, bears a subtle message.

Fortunately, Chandan Kumar's screenplay is so unobtrusive – and so mindful of the little things (a key is lost, a computer monitor is stolen, a "gang war" is threatened) revealing mundane hinterland existence – that no message appears as if the writer is speaking through the characters. It's a tricky balance. Even accomplished films like Gully Boy  have made the mistake of designing voices at odds with the politics of their environment in pursuit of a redemptive arc. Murad, for example, always seemed transcendent in his values because the script wanted him to show everyone the way. The modern writers communicate their language through him: As a result, he sounds morally superior rather than principally different. But  Panchayat  never succumbs to this temptation, despite having one of the finest ensembles in recent times. No villager sounds overly unique for the heck of it. Even their moments of progressiveness and kindness are consequences of a limited worldview. For example, a lady propagates population control to her husband because "do you know how painful it is for women to give birth to more than two kids?". In another case, the pradhaan forgives Abhishek's mistake only when the young man's agitated monologue on loneliness touches the 'family' chord in him.

At the same time, their simplicity refuses to morph into stupidity. Each of the supporting actors is so particular with body language that the characters' emotional intelligence is never in doubt. Raghuvir Yadav invokes his delightful  Newton  persona as the laidback pradhaan with a big heart. There's not enough of the scene-stealing Neena Gupta as his wife. But even this alleged flaw of the series is in sync with the visual status of the women in the village – as surrogate faces of the constituency, while the husbands hijack their titles. Her limited screen time is actually a payoff device, because the final episode rests squarely on her shoulders. It also has the best use of the national anthem I've seen in years. This is just as well, because it comes on the back of an Akshay Kumar reference in the previous episode.

It's a testament to Jitendra Kumar's versatility within his 'everyman' comfort zone that, after playing a star coaching-class teacher in  Kota Factory, he is equally expressive at the other end of the spectrum. Abhishek might have resented the empathy of that Kota teacher. Like Ayushmann Khurrana (who he co-starred with in  Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan ), Kumar, too, is adept at conveying the physicality of pent-up frustration. His characters reek of suppressed angst to such an extent that something as ordinary as a smile – fleeting, fateful – can resolve a whole narrative. A chuckle feels earned, and can do what even the most manipulative background score cannot: It releases the viewer. And it exposes a high-strung grasp that we never knew we were in. Turning life into a steep climb is, after all, the trademark of the Middling Indian Student. But every now and then, a show like  Panchayat  arrives to confirm that a mountain is nothing but a collection of charming little molehills.

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‘Panchayat’ Review: A Homegrown Satire That Measures the Distance Between Indians And Governance

Director : Deepak Kumar Mishra

Cast : Jitendra Kumar, Raghubir Yadav, Neena Gupta, Chandan Roy, Faisal Malik

Writer : Chandan Kumar

There is a certain dissatisfaction written across Jitendra Kumar’s face – a sense of being weighed down by the burden of straddling expectations of two different worlds – that makes him the perfect protagonist to essay Indian-bred aspiration.

Kumar’s loyal following on the Indian internet, built on the back of hugely popular TVF shows Permanent Roommates , Pitchers , and Kota Factory, have all touched upon the desire to break away from the monotony of a middle-class existence. But Kumar doesn’t play heroes in any of these outings; instead he plays a more recognisable offshoot: the guy who could have been the hero had he not fallen just short of the mark (his internet nickname “Jeetu Bhaiyya” is proof of the familiarity he evokes).

The actor is the face of urban dreams that are rooted in middle-class misfortune. Where aspiration has no other option but to make room for compromise. By spectacularly using this very cult of Kumar to highlight the distance between ‘Everyman’ dreams and reality, Deepak Kumar Mishra’s Panchayat – an eight-part hinterland dramedy currently streaming on Amazon Prime – sets out to investigate the redundancy of heroism.

At the moment, it’s perhaps the rare Indian show that doesn’t consume itself by recklessly searching for a hero in its self-absorbed, impatient protagonist. It is certainly great timing: Kumar is fresh off the success of Hitesh Kewalya’s S hubh Mangal Zyada Savdhaan , the first Hindi mainstream film to feature – and do justice to – a gay romance. In the film, Kumar played Aman Tripathi, a young man from a conservative family who falls in love with a man – basically another protagonist stuck between embracing modernity and eschewing tradition.

In Panchayat , the actor takes it a step forward by efficiently becoming Abhishek Tripathi, an engineering graduate trapped in a dead-end government job that screams average. He’s the new secretary of a panchayat office in Phulera, an Uttar Pradesh village whose only skill seems to be cutting itself off from civilisation.

The job pays a paltry Rs 20,000 as opposed to the Rs 80,000 his friend is making off a corporate job every month. On Fridays when he puts up party pictures on Instagram, Abhishek is peeling bottle-gourd in his lonesome kitchen to make dinner – a spare room in the panchayat office doubles up as his accomodation in the village. To him, the job comes across as a punishment than progression.

In the opening episode, his friend (a welcome cameo by TVF regular Biswapati Sarkar) tries to make Abhishek look at the positive side of his predicament by comparing his job to Shah Rukh Khan ’s awakening as Mohan Bhargava in Swades . It’s a funny dialogue as well as a clever dig at Hindi movies that have made a caricature of rural India.

The hinterland in Hindi cinema is now reduced to a template, acting as a device that trudges a lost urban soul on the road to enlightenment. But Panchayat isn’t interested in that oft-abused narrative. What it is after is far more inventive, audacious, and charming: the dissonance between Indian governance and the Indian way of life. The show’s title might as well be a dig at the country as an institution that comes to “solutions” as per its convenience.

Flawlessly written by Chandan Kumar (not one sub-plot feels laboured), Panchayat manages the distinction of getting the tone, texture, and the intent of its rural storytelling down pat.

As per the government’s women empowerment scheme, Phulera is mandated to have a female panchayat leader. Except Manju Devi ( Neena Gupta , scene-stealer), the elected leader in question, is merely a placeholder.

The actual day-to-day responsibilities are under the control of her husband, referred to in the show as Pradhanji (the delightful Raghubir Yadav, finally cast in a role that lives up to his craft).

The implied gender discrimination, where men take over any role that might involve a woman exerting her power, reveal a brand of insecure masculinity that would ideally make for heavy viewing if not a preachy lesson. But Panchayat avoids the trappings of socially conscious filmmaking. Its gaze is never distant, but empathetic towards unraveling just why rural India ends up taking two steps backward every time the country takes a step ahead. Throughout its 30-minute-long eight episodes, the makers touch upon a host of “issues,” right from the tragicomedy that arises when Indian masculinity is under threat (the show’s third episode is a standout half hour of Indian television that spins a phenomenal yarn out of dowry), ingrained patriarchy, superstition, homegrown feminism, and the nature of politics that goads leaders to rule over people instead of serving them.

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Yet the show’s writing, armed with a lightness of touch and a sense of humour, never turns them into a gimmick that wears its moral superiority on its sleeve. None of these episodes have even a moment that feels designed to house on-the-nose messaging. That’s because Panchayat doesn’t give rural India the step-treatment: it’s aware that what qualifies as “issues” for privileged urban folk is after all just daily life for the hinterland. The show doesn’t prime the educated protagonist as the saviour or the one who possesses the answers – Abhishek is held accountable for his self-serving ways as much as Pradhanji is for his social conditioning.

What makes Panchayat a solid achievement and an essential watch is how it succeeds in being a satire on stilted governance in the guise of dispensing social commentary. It’s not everyday that a show finds a way to work in Akshay Kumar and patriotism into its plot in such rewarding ways that you can’t help but admire its heroism.

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‘Panchayat’ S3 Review: Journey Back to Phulera Is Heartwarming but Incomplete

'panchayat' season 3 is streaming on amazon prime., ‘panchayat’ s3: the journey back to phulera is heartwarming but incomplete.

No matter how interesting or arresting a show might be, sustaining the same charm (or the uproarious comedy in this instance) for a third season can be tough. To a certain degree Panchayat season 3 both succeeds and struggles to keep the charm alive. After the somber events with which season 2 ended, it was to be expected that the new season would feel more ‘serious’ than its predecessors.

A still from Panchayat season 3.

(Photo Courtesy: YouTube)

Spoiler warning for season 2: The last episode ended with council member Prahlad (Faisal Khan) grappling with his son’s death. There was nary a viewer who wasn’t blown away by his performance – his grief palpable through the screen.

In season 3, Khan’s grief becomes a driving force for his character– it makes it harder for him to look over the frivolity with which the powerful carry on with their lives. The ‘teddy bear’ persona, as many have called it, has been overshadowed by the sheer magnitude of grief he feels. From taking to the bottle to refusing to go home (the ‘ khaali ghar kaatne ko daudta hai ’ remains unsaid until necessary), Prahlad is not the man he used to be in the first two seasons.

Prahlad’s scenes also capture the best thing about Panchayat – the sense of community in the quiet village of Phulera. While Prahlad deals with his grief, Vikas and Dubey’s families come together to take care of him – every meal is taken care of. Prahlad enters conversations even when he isn’t present, much like a family member would.

When the ‘dulha’ from earlier shows up, Vikas calls him ‘gaon ka damaad ’. When someone faces a health issue, everyone in the vicinity rushes to help. These are the best parts of Panchayat and always have been.

This is perhaps why the show’s attempts to become larger than its earlier scale can feel a little jarring. The show begins, for instance, in a city instead of Phulera which already feels a little off. It is not until we see Vikas drive by on his bike or Bhushan (Durgesh Kumar) and Vinod conspiring at the tea stall that it truly feels like Panchayat.

Like I mentioned above, the show isn’t nearly as uproariously funny as season 2 (my personal favourite) but perhaps that is because we don’t get to see nearly enough of Neena Gupta and Sunita Rajwar’s characters’ enmity. Season 2 had seemingly set up the ground for these two to finally have a mental chess match of sorts but season 3 doesn’t often hold up to that premise. And yet, there are times when the humour lands.

Panchayat has, for the most part, perfected the art of creating set pieces that look completely natural – as if the actors were given a cue and are just doing what they wish to do. For instance, Vikas teaches a man Bam Bahadur self-defense by essentially dancing around his attacks and a fight breaks out outside a hospital where multiple men unequipped for the squabble….do just that. For a camera byte to a journalist, the village stands united behind the man speaking but once the initial chutzpah wears off, you can see the awkwardness seep in.

These are all excellent actors and have developed a camaraderie with each other that makes their characters’ relationships all the more believable. Much has been said about how well each actor captures their characters’ spirit so there is no point in repeating it. That being said, Vikas’ (Chandan Roy) character is still one of my favourites, second only to Manju Devi and Kranti Devi.

The one thing that stands out is Manju Devi’s growth. Earlier, she was just the proxy through which the council leader Dubey kept his position. But it always felt like she was the more natural leader between the two – that is more realized this season. As Dubey’s flaws – including a bias exposed by a housing scheme – are exposed, Manju Devi steps forward. But this makes it even more heartbreaking that we don’t see more of the fight for power between her and Kranti Devi.

Instead, Bhushan, in his thirst for power, turns to the loathsome MLA Chandrakishore (Pankaj Jha) whose motives for helping him are purely selfish. As egos clash, Chandrakishore decides to ‘destroy’ Phulera because he can’t break their spirit. Should someone responsible for the governance of people be someone who flies off the handle or resorts to violence this easily? The commentary, while not scathing, is welcome.

However, there is a tonal confusion with the season’s second half. The MLA poses a real danger to the village – this is the fight of the common man against those in power. While it is possible to deal with this subject in a comic manner, Panchayat doesn’t always manage that balance. The MLA is supposed to feel out-of-place in the tranquility of Phulera but the background score doesn’t always do the show any favours. Yes, Panchayat is meant to be a light-hearted show but it proved in the second season that it also understands the darker aspects of human life. The switch was executed better then.

There’s also love on the cards. Abhishek (Jitendra Kumar) and Rinku (Sanvikaa) awkwardly try to navigate the early stages of a relationship. While I often find that romantic arcs take away from shows because they’re not planned well, that is not the case here. Their scenes come as a breath of fresh air in all the chaos that surrounds them.

For a viewer, however, it’s still easy to enter Phulera – it’s easy to remember why we care about the people, the places. The set design still feels comforting and nostalgic – every part of the Phulera village seems familiar. When someone speaks of a location off-camera, you know exactly what they’re talking about. The camerawork is as simplistic as always which adds to the show’s rustic charm.

However, the flaws of Panchayat are still evident -- the misplaced background music, the tonal confusion, and even the glaring lack of exploration into issues like caste, class, and gender. The latter is perhaps still more explored than the former. How does the council leader’s bias actually affect the people in Phulera?

At some level, I understand why we had to leave Phulera-- the story had to grow out of it -- but that doesn’t mean that we couldn’t have gone deeper into the village too. Even as the camera moves away from the village, there are so many stories and homes that still seem unexplored.

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