Reviews & Ratings for
Panchayat (2020)

A fine story based on the rural setting, where a boy landed up with a government job, finds it odd to settle down. If you have read the short story Postmaster by Rabindranath Tagore, you can relate to the web series majorly. Just like the Postmaster, Abhishek Tripathy, the lead character also "felt like a fish out of water in this remote village."
If you have ever been to a rural landscape, you might have noticed there are a bunch of cons and only a few pros. Anyone from the cosmopolitan city will never be ready to settle down there. Imagine getting recruited and transferred to a rural area with a minimum salary and a pile of bore-stricken task among the elderly people from the locality. That was the life Abhishek Tripathi, played by Jitendra Kumar, was leading in Phulera, Uttarpradesh.
In the heart of his mind, Abhishek was keen on cracking CAT exams to secure an IIM admission. But to dream is hard and to make it real is harder. After working all day long as the Village Secretory, at night before studying he had to ensure he had enough light and also had to cook his own meals. The utter simplicity with no same-aged companion started to becoming monotonous to him. Although he tried a set-back to escape reality, it came with a cost. He got his monitor stolen.
A fine delight aroused as Raghuvir in the skin of Pradhanpati tried his best to convince his wife that he can be a suitable man to tie the knot with their daughter, Rinki. Although, it took a halt there. But it is expected that the audience will be witnessing a love affair between the two in the forthcoming season.
A series of a few rustic actions took place that literally irritated him. However, it was in the last episode, that he realised the compassion the villagers had for him. This ends down on a note that says, all's well that ends well.

Effortless and simplistic, ‘Panchayat’ is a refreshing take on “struggles” of a modest rural life. We get to experience the seemingly unexciting yet vivid everyday lives of people occupying ‘Phulera’ (a small village outside of Uttar Pradesh) through our hero of sorts – Abhishek, who has landed the job of panchayat secretary of the village.

Abhishek (Jitendra Kumar) is someone we can instantly resonate with; he is stuck in a job that he never quite wanted. As he begins making peace with his strange new environment, we see him flounder, whine and fail much like we (people accustomed to big cities) would if we were in his shoes.

Beside Abhishek’s, we also get closely acquainted with lives of many peculiar yet affable locals of the village, like - Brij Bhushan (Raghuvir Yadav), the kind-hearted Panchayat Pradhan; Vikas (Chandan Roy), the easy going Gram Sahayak; Prahalad (Faisal Malik), the loyal deputy Pradahan; and finally Manju (Neena Gupta), the domineering, practical wife of Pradhan.

The best part of the show is that it is neither preachy nor a mockery of the rural life. It is in fact an insightful and witty conceptualization of what a typical day in life of a rural Indian looks like. The writing is sharp, tactful and manages to subtly comment on a wide gamut of social issues as well.

With brilliant performances, tasteful humor and a comforting aura about it, the show will easily give you a run for your money.