Introduction –

Panchayat web series is an ordinary story with extraordinary characters and even more impressive performances by all the leading characters namely – Abhishek Tripathi ( Jitendra Kumar ), Brij Bushan Dubey aka Pradhan ( Raghubir Yadav ), Manju Devi, Pradhan’s wife ( Neena Gupta ), Vikas Shukla, Sahayak ( Chandan Roy ) and Prahlad Pandey ( Faisal Malik ) Pradhan’s assistant. Panchayat narrates the story a young engineer ( Abhishek ) who accepts a job of a village Sachiv, secretary in a Panchayat office of a remote village, Phulera in Uttar Pradesh as a makeshift profession till he completes his CAT exam.

Interestingly Panchayat was shot in a real locale in Madhya Pradesh. Even Pradhan’s house is not a creation but actual house belonging to the head of the village.

Synopsis –

Set in the rustic landscape of Phulera, Panchayat belongs to comedy, drama genres. It opens up to a bus ride, where Abhishek, the newly appointed secretary of Panchayat gets a taste of rural travel. Even before he eases into his official chair, he encounters the clumsiness of village Pradhan ( Brij Bushan Dubey ) who reveals that he’s lost the key to Panchayat office while defecating in the nearby fields. On the other hand, Vikas Shukla, the Sahayak seems like the only person with some sensibility.

Spread over 8 episodes of varying lengths, Panchayat takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride of comic and not so comic incidences. Some of these include Pradhan’s habit of offering Lauki vegetable to all and sundry, his pride at being the village Pradhan, his fanaticism for revolving chair ( Chakke Wali Kursi ) and the adversities of Abhishek stuck in a passive village with absolutely no connection to the outside world or leisure resources.

Pradhan’s lackey, Prahlad Pandey is yet another character who makes an impression with his small dreams and even smaller wishes. His actions may seem childish but they carry a deeper meaning. Meanwhile, Abhishek continues to focus on his village duties and also on his CAT exams, intermittently disturbed by villagers, robbery, celebration with the main characters and even an innocent “Name” suggestion which evolves into a domestic fight.

The last episode is scattered with several events which we assume will form the basis of season 2. This includes Manju Devi’s awareness of her position as a true Pradhan, the girl Rinki who is yet to appear on screen and Abhishek’s resolution of trying CAT exams once again.

The eight episodes of Panchayat Web Series with their titles and running length.

Analysis –

The ordinary events of a village, villagers and Panchayat operations are beautifully woven into interesting episodes. Credit goes to the script writer for developing relatable characters, innocent jabs and meaningful escapades. Although Panchayat web series is devoid of radical story arc, it is suitably compensated with several comical bumps at regular intervals.

There is absolutely no violence, the tragedies are more like a mild slap on the wrist and yet the story never loses its momentum or meaning. Direction is spot on while cinematography could have been better, although it did shine in patches. Performances are top notch, especially Raghubir Yadav and Jitendra Kumar.

Congratulations to the writer/s for creating magic out of ordinary, mundane village routines. Every problem, every hurdle in Panchayat is addressed with simplicity and subtlety. These are the key elements of this web series which can be viewed on Amazon Prime Video.

2020 Deepak Kumar Mishra Chandan Kumar 8 Episodes Amazon Prime Video

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