Web series review: Panchayat

Image Courtesy - IMDb

Panchayat is an Indian television web series of eight episodes, available on Amazon Prime, produced by TVF, filled with comedy, drama, and emotions.

It's the story of Abhishek Tripathi, an engineering graduate who had to join Gram Panchayat Office as a Panchayat Secretary in a remote village of the UP, due to lack of job opportunities.

The series beautifully captured the life of an Indian village through the eyes of Abhishek, a metro-resident, urban living individual. He is struggling to adopt a village life, shown in all his efforts and also the struggles faced by him due to differences in lifestyles compared to city life.

As usual, the screenplay is always commendable in all the works of TVF. Hence, Panchayat is also exceptional. It perfectly depicts the way of living in rural India.

The series covers incidences and topics humorously. They give a beautiful sight of the villagers and their life:

1. People in the villages are simple, always fond of small talks. Usually cooperating, loving, and caring, but takes offenses quickly because of their innocent heart.

2. Superstitions like spirits residing in the old trees 

3. Disputes over family planning

4. A glimpse of deep-rooted patriarchy in the villages of India, where men take over the responsibility of Govt. posts even though their wives might be the elected officials. Because of the decades-old ideology that women are better for household chores.

The star cast had made the show a delightful watch through their effortless acting.

Raghubir Yadav (Brij Bhushan Dubey/Pradhanji/Pradhan Pati) naturally adds the comic and moral relief to the show. He wins the heart of a viewer with his expressions and amazing dialogue delivery.

Similarly, Neena Gupta (Manju Devi/Official Pradhan) delivers an extraordinary performance with so much ease.

Of course, highly expressive Jitendra Kumar, aka Jeetu Bhaiya (Abhishek Tripathi/Panchayat Secretary/Sachiv Ji) once again, compelled us to praise his acting skills. 

Be it anger, frustration, or happiness he carries, all emotions very well. He is effortlessly convincing as a city boy trying to make his way through village life, meticulously shown through the moments of his loneliness, boredom, and frustration for the sake of a govt job.

The occasional emotional outburst, disappointment, and innocence of every character made me pen down the review of this series.

Checkout the Official Trailer.

Be safe in these testing times of Coronavirus and enjoy binge-watching this beautiful show.

Thanks for reading!