Panchayat Season 3 review: "Show stays true to the essence of rural life's challenges and peculiarities"

The strength of 'Panchayat' lies in its simple and relatable portrayal of rural life. Its creators have wisely avoided gimmicks while adding social commentary, staying true to the original tone. In the third season, they expand on bigger themes, deepen character arcs, and introduce more dramatic moments.

The 3rd season of the popular web-series Panchayat released on Amazon Prime on May 28. Created by Chandan Kumar and directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra, 'Panchayat' follows a young man from Delhi who becomes a secretary in a Panchayat office in a remote Uttar Pradesh village. The ensemble cast includes Neena Gupta, Jitendra Kumar, Raghubir Yadav, Biswapati Sarkar, Chandan Roy, and Faisal Malik.

The previous season ended with the emotional blow of Rahul's death, the son of Phulera Panchayat's deputy chief Prahlad. The climax saw Panchayat head Manju Devi preventing political exploitation by the local MLA amid the tragedy, and Abhishek facing a transfer.

In Season 3, Prahlad(Faisal Malik) mourns his son's loss, Manju Devi(Neena Gupta) becomes more involved in Panchayat affairs, and Abhishek (Jitendra Kumar) returns to Phulera. The narrative introduces more drama and subplots while retaining the familiar setting.

The main conflict revolves around Phulera residents' struggle for a proper road and the MLA's fight against Pradhan (Raghubir Yadav). In this season of Panchayat, things get tense in Phulera, but they don't use exaggerated violence just to shock viewers. When there are fights or chases, they look real and not like they're staged or made up. This is different from a lot of other shows on streaming platforms that often have flashy, unrealistic violence.

The show's understated charm and high drama in mundane village life continue to be its strengths. While expanding its scope in the third season, the show remains grounded in familiar challenges and peculiarities of rural existence.

Here are some public reviews:

One user said that Panchayat has once again proven why it stands out as one of the finest examples of Indian web series storytelling. “Every single scene capture the essence of rural India with its heartfelt narrative and compelling characters. As always, Deepak Kumar Mishra brings something new and fresh. Like the first two seasons, you'll remember every character this time as well. The highlight is Faisal Malik; his dialogues are few but powerful, and whenever he's on screen, the scene becomes intense. Once again, TVF's writing wins hearts."

Another user added that "TVF has aced the game of making real content." The user wrote that right from acting, cast, vibe, village politics, locations, costume, emotions, the film ticked all the boxes.

Another added, “When Prahlad said, "Aaj khana hamare ghar par rahega, ghar me thodi raunak ho jayegi" The simplicity and the depth in this dialogue man"

Panchayat Season 3

Director: Deepak Kumar Mishra

Cast: Jitendra Kumar, Raghubir Yadav, Neena Gupta, Sanvikaa, Chandan Roy, Faisal Malik, Durgesh Kumar, Sunita Rajwar, Pankaj Jha

Rating: 4 Stars

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