PANCHAYAT WEBSERIES REVIEW (by SAYAN DAS)

The web-series Panchayat has been a talking point since its release on April 3, 2020 by its makers. It is an Amazon prime original made in collaboration with TVF featuring prominent actors such as the ever entertaining Jeetendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, and Raghuvir Yadav. 

                                                          

This is a very entertaining comedy show lasting 8 episodes in its first season with an episode length of almost 30-35 mins. Panchayat can be described with many good sentences, but one line which perfectly defines the new web series is, 'When the right talent blends with a perfect story, the display of a whole-hearted entertainment becomes imminent'.

When he finds no other jobs and sitting at home just doesn’t seem feasible, Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar) takes up a government job as the Panchayat Sachiv (secretary) of the Phulera village panchayat in Uttar Pradesh's Balliya district. Given his urban upbringing, the salary is meagre, and the challenges of thriving or even surviving village life are beyond overwhelming, barring the culinary shortcomings of eating Louki ki sabzi, however freshly plucked it is.

                                 

The panchayat head, is Manju Devi (Neena Gupta), but only on paper because Phulera is actually governed by Manju’s husband Brij Bhushan Dubey (Raghuvir Yadav). Each episode presents Abhishek with a storm in a teacup. Those among us waiting for these storms to brew into something more substantial are clearly watching the wrong show. Abhishek does meet a poor villager who is owed money by the government’s MGNREGA scheme, but the panchayat officer’s workload turns out to be astonishingly light. The villages of India are clearly in more robust health than we have been led to believe.From making birth certificates to implementation of government policies like MNREGA and family planning – there are always too many nuts to crack in the rural hinterland, all with its own specific ensemble of problems.

Panchayat has been a trending topic as a number of viewers have been sharing their views about the show on social media. A number of social media posts claim that the series is extremely entertaining. The fans have also been expressing their thoughts about the leading cast including Neena Gupta and Jitendra Kumar to appreciate their performances.

Well, at last I would advise you all to watch Panchayat as it brings some comic relief in these times of hardships, pandemic and lockdown!

By Sayan Das