Viewers have been waiting eagerly for the third season of the simple, entertaining, and emotional tale of Indian rural life, ‘Panchayat’. Finally, it began streaming on Prime Video on May 28, 2024. Like the first two seasons, the third season of Panchayat has won appreciation from both viewers and critics.
Panchayat is a classic example of simple storytelling with deep emotional expression and bonding among the characters. A qualified engineer and MBA aspirant, Abhishek Tripathi, works as a Panchayat Secretary (Sachiv) in a small village in Uttar Pradesh named Phulera. The third season depicts corruption and atrocities at the grassroots level and is in absolute synchronization with the ongoing Lok Sabha elections (2024) in the country.
The constant tussle between the local MLA Chandrakishore Singh (played by Pankaj Jha), the Panchayat Pradhan Manju Devi (played by Neena Gupta), and her husband, the real Pradhan Brij-Bhushan Dubey (played by Raghubir Yadav), as well as new challengers to the Pradhan, sets the stage for a new conflict in Phulera. The outstanding acting performances of the supporting actors, such as Faisal Mali as Prahlad, Durgesh Kumar as Bhushan Sharma, Sunita Rajwar as Kranti Devi, and Chandan Roy as Vikas Shujla, deserve special mention in this season of Panchayat. The subtle romance between Abhishek and Rinki, as well as Abhishek’s happiness at being back in Phulera, are moments to treasure.
Director Deepak Kumar Mishra and story writer Chandan Kumar have successfully made a series that stands apart from all the glitz and glamour, tension, drama, and magnum opus plays.
