Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre : Drama
Year : 2024
Episodes : 8
Running time : 30 minutes (per episode)
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Director : Deepak Kumar Mishra
Cast : Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghuvir Yadav, Chandan Roy, Faisal Malik
Kid rating : G
If you have seen the first two seasons of Panchayat, you know that they were fantastic. So there is an expectation that season three will be equally fantastic. IT. IS. NOT. I’m not saying it’s a bad season, it’s just not the stellar fare we’ve come to expect.
If you need a refresher of Season One and Two, let me remind you that this is the tale of Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar), who failing to secure the requisite result in the entrance examinations is unable to pursue his dream education. He then, as his last resort, lands a position as Panchayat Secretary or Sachiv in the village of Phulera.
The first season, we were new to Phulera and to Abhishek.
In the second, Abhishek is well and truly entrenched In the village. Now he has friends around him who regard him with affection and respect. There was also a little beginning, a very little beginning to a maybe romance with Rinky (Saanvika) the village Pradhan’s daughter.
And now there is Season Three.
This like the previous seasons has as its main characters, Sachiviji aka Abhishek, Pradhan Manjudevi (Neena Gupta, whom we’ve also see in Masaba Masaba), her husband humorously called Pradhanpati (Raghubir Yadav), Deputy Pradhan Prahlad and office assistant Vikas.
The season starts off with the fact that Abhishek has been transferred as the Panchayat Secretary to a different village because he has offended the MLA. He’s loathe to join his duties in the new village and Pradhan Manjudevi wants him back. Manjudevi and husband approach the District Magistrate but she won’t embroil herself in the matter.
The first 2 episodes deal with that problem. Then we have some more local village issues, pretty rustic and involving other minor characters of the village whom we have never met before and may not ever see again.
So honestly, the first four episodes were slow going. We could have done with a little more facetime of the main characters and a little less of everybody else. When the action did take off, it was because of the Panchayat elections. Standing against the Pradhan is Bhushan aka Banrakas and his wife Kranti Dev (a magnificent Sunita Rajwar). They have the blessing of the local MLA.
The local MLA (yes, the one who got Sachivji transferred) is a goon, not above using force and violence to get what he wants. Of course, Abhishek stands tall with Manjudevi and her husband because they are in the right. But it will be a tough fight.
Season three is also well made, but the makers have faltered a bit here. The pace and the intensity are laggardly, at least in the beginning. They do catch up in the later episodes, but this is not the Panchayat of Season one and two. It is still sweetness and light and all things bright. Just a tad slow to take off.
It does end on a cliffhanger. So I am looking forward to season four. Hope springs eternal.
Kidwise: Clean and family friendly.
