Is Panchayat Worth Watching?

Ya, I know the show has got an awful poster. The trailer wasn’t much exciting. The main lead, Jitendra Kumar was criticized for his ‘What’s-all-this-happening-around-me?’ face in his debut film, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and the show brings back the same old Neena Gupta and Jitendra Kumar duo. Considering all this, even I had fallen into the trap of believing that the show must be dull and boring. But, when you are already bored to an extreme extent and are driven by the search of good content, even a trailer as unexciting as Panchayat’s can set you off to watching it. And it turns out the show entirely flipped my opinion about it. Here are a few things that I liked about the show.

Source: Amazon Prime Videos India

The Anecdotes

All web-series coming out these days, attempt to add a layer of realism and groundedness to their stories. But what distinguishes this show is the fact that the makers of Panchayat are masters at anecdotes. And their observations are centric to the worldview of a modern teen. The story of Panchayat is about a guy named Abishek, who has no other option but to join as the secretary of Panchayat in a village due to a lack of better job opportunities and has to prepare for his CAT exam there. He faces difficulties in adjusting himself to a lifestyle he isn’t used to. A pretty simple, or rather a boring premise as one would call it. 

Source: Amazon Prime Videos India

But then, what is it, that sucks you so into the story that you end up binging the entire season at once? It’s those minute details that the makers put into the show, the observations of the life of a millennial. It’s that what you find so relatable- The fear that you don’t lose the bike keys in your pocket, or the pressure of presenting your sophistication when you meet new people, or maybe the desire of not removing the polythene wrapping your new chair has got. These are things that you’ve done at some point in time, and you are laughing at them now. That’s the best part- the show manages to make you laugh at your own stupidities. 

The TVF Genre

It’s not that I’m watching a show like Panchayat for the first time. Neither is it that the show is very unique in some form. It’s the same old TVF story of a student pressurized into a situation where devotional studying for an exam is the only way out. Kota Factory had a similar story and Hostel Daze was also about student life.

Source: Amazon Prime Videos India

TVF has always been about regular stories around regular people. Stories with no conclusive ends and no resultant output to the plot. But that’s exactly where the sweetness of these shows lie. Sometimes all you need is a bird’s eye view of your own life to realize how the problems you are facing can be tackled. You can live your life, irritated with your problems, or you can deal with them cheerfully and learning along the way.

That’s the fun part about these shows, even if I tell you the entire story, it’s not gonna spoil anything for you. Because such shows are not just plots being enacted out on screen, these are experiences. And experiences can’t be spoilt. 

The Performances

Panchayat is not a show you’ll be binging because of some cliffhangers but because you are so emotionally invested and interested in these characters. And apart from the writers who should definitely be credited for carving such pleasant characters, it’s also the actors who should be appreciated for not letting any note hit wrong. The show very beautifully depicts the rural world which many of us have been deprived of experiencing. And these actors are ones who bring this world to life. Jitendra Kumar plays Abishek, who is all alone stuck in this village. Then, the series also stars Neena Gupta who is the Pradhan of the village, and Raghubir Yadav who is the Pradhanpati.

Source: Amazon Prime Videos India

Surely, Jitendra is a gifted performer who suits to all emotions. He brings out the sense of alienation and irritation that he feels living in the village. The show has got a wonderful cast portraying characters that feel authentic.

I know it’s fairly objectionable that I couldn’t find any faults in the series, but Panchayat was a show even a dedicated nit-picker would struggle finding faults in. Look, as I said, the show isn’t something that would keep you on your toes, building high stakes or tense situations. The stakes are low, the problems of these characters are small, but you realize how big a deal these issues are in this rural world, and to the people who live in the villages. But it’s a feel-good show that’s definitely worth a one time watch. Do check it out if you haven’t seen it yet. And if you have already seen the show, leave a comment down below telling us if you liked our views on this eight-episode miniseries. Do share it with your friends.

I can rate this show, no less than four stars out of five.

-HJ