Can Panchayat Season 4 Rise Above Its Average Season 3?

NDTV

6 hours ago

A reluctant Sachivji AKA Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar) was looking for an opportunity to escape Phulera (a fictional village in Uttar Pradesh). One of his friends [A corporate employee] suggested him to do something so that he falls in love with the village. He had been told many times by the villagers to have a bird's-eye view of Phulera, from the roof of a water reservoir, near the panchayat office. An MBA aspirant, who landed up with a government job in a remote village, never felt like listening to them.
In the finale episode of season one, Sachivji went to the rooftop of the paani ki tanki and tried to explore the beauty of the village.
"Same hi toh dikhta hai, alag kya hai?" was his first reaction.
The reactions suddenly changed when a female voice was heard around him.
He met Rinki [Pradhanji's daughter, played by Sanvikaa] for the first time.
And these words echoed in the background, " Aap ek bar tanki ki chhat se dekh lo Phulera, pyar toh ho hi jayega (If you watch Phulera from the rooftop of the tank, you'll surely fall in love)."
Back in April 2020, the world just woke up to the COVID-19 pandemic. People had no clue how to deal with loss, death and uncertainty that shrouded their everyday lives. Around that time, Panchayat season one [the Amazon Prime Original series], directly made its way to the viewers' hearts like a lease of new love.
Through the eyes of Sachivji, the OTT viewers were transported to a village of the Hindi hinterland, which appeared to be TVF's [The Viral Factory, the production company] new figment of imagination.
No complaints though.
Phulera and its likeable characters [inspired from folklore or Aesop's Fables] proved their longevity over the five years in an OTT market, dominated by rampant crime and whodunnit shows.
Ahead of its season four release on June 24, 2025, let's look back and decode why season three received mixed reactions, what worked for the first two seasons and why season three didn't end on a "look-forward-to" note.
Elevating Endings (Missing In Season Three)
Panchayat season one and two became fan favourite due to its lofty endings. The last 10-20 minutes of the finale episodes (both in season one and two) had uplifted the series to a certain level, where nationalistic fervour and storytelling combined had a cathartic effect on the minds of the viewers.
In season one, Manju Devi (played by Neena Gupta) who's the actual Pradhan of the village Phulera, hoisted the National Flag in front of the District Magistrate, who happens to be a woman, and the village. She also sang the National Anthem Jana Gana Mana after rehearsing it for two days with Sachivji. When Manju Devi was fumbling with the words of the National Anthem, her husband AKA Pradhan-Pati (Brij Bhushan Dubey, played by Raghubir Yadav) gave her cues, so that she didn't feel nervous.
Or talk about that scene, when Manju Devi wanted to rehearse the lines by sitting on a chair. Sachivji, with a firm voice, said, "We can't sit as you have to sing the song standing alone. Let's practise that way only."
These were the moments that stayed with the viewers long after the season ended.
Season two treaded the path a step further. This time, the makers, wanted the audience to shed a few drop of tears after smiling all through. Upa-Pradhan Prahlad (played by Faisal Malik) lost his only son Rahul; he is killed in action on the border and the whole Phulera wept with him when he was cremated with full state honours.
"My parents died long ago. My wife died. Now my only son died. I have become so lonely," an inconsolable Prahladcha told Pradhanji.
Even if you haven't seen loss in your immediate circle, the sheer magnitude of loss would strike a chord with you. And it did. Quite impactfully.
Deviating from the last two seasons, the finale of season three descended into chaos, violence and an abrupt hooliganism which the Panchayat audiences were not ready for.
Pradhanji was shot at in broad daylight. All eyes were on MLA Chandrakishore Singh who came with arms and guns to attack the village Phulera earlier.
The season ended on a note that elections were nearing and both parties would resort to violence (which is a sole quality that disntinguishes Panchayat from other shows).
If a show, which earlier solved disputes with a lauki (bottle gourd), sometimes with a moving chair, didn't find any other discourse than violence as the go-to solution, it would certainly distance its loyal fanbase. And, it did (badly).
Season 3 Lacked Insightful Characters, Solid Life Lessons
In season two, two guest characters made lasting impressions with their powerful dialogues - full of insight and precision.
When Abhishek asked a dancer (season two, episode 1) why she didn't quit dancing as a profession as she was injured in a duel, her reply was, "Do you like the job you do?" Abhishek replied with a simple "No".
" Saab, sabhi kahi na kahi toh nach hi rahe hain (Everyone is dancing to someone's tunes one way or the other)," the village girl summed up.
It made Sachivji pause for a moment.
Remember the drunk driver who predicted Sachivji would become a drunkard too later in his life?
" Saab, jab 20,000 main sansar chalana hoga na, tab nashe main rehena hi acha lagta hain... (If you have to run the household of four with 20,000 rupess, you wanted to be a drunkard)," the driver said.
Though season three had one dadi character, who hatched a plan with his son to get a new house under the scheme of Pradhanmantri Avaas Yojna, she became an episode in herself, tickling the funny bone more than parting a lesson.
Can Panchayat Afford To Have Violence?
Panchayat is no Mirzapur (The Amazon Prime series infamous for its very graphic violence). At least, the makers envisoned a Uttar Pradesh town devoid of violence and made the audience believe in its reality.
Of course, there's a banraakas (the terrific Bhushan played by Durgesh Kumar), his wife Kranti devi (Sunita Rajwar) a pradhan aspirant, and their hangers-on Madhav and Binod, the political tussle between paschim (west) and purab (east) Phulera - but all these elements didn't tarnish the naive image of Phulera.
In season three, the MLA character was developed with gruesome details - he was accused of mudering a pet dog (rumoured to have eaten its meat as well) and a pigeon died in his hands. The intention was violent; so was the tonality of the storytelling. And, perhaps, it was the root of a sense of detachment that the viewers felt after watching the third instalment.
The Timing Of The Release Of Panchayat Season 4
From 2020 to 2025, the world has walked into a timezone divided by the pandemic. A piece of art, which appealed to the masses during the pandemic five years ago, may not lead to a similar response today.
A year, which has already seen catastrophes such as the Pahalgam terror attack and the Air India plane crash, is desperately hoping to breathe in some fresh air, once offered by Phulera and the characters in Panchayat.
If season four gets entangled in electoral politics - propelled by bandook - Phulera will not feel like Phulera.
A land, devoid of violence in its ugliest form, will go back to becoming just a figment of imagination.
The makers imagined Phulera, the audience made it a reality. They are not ready to say good bye; so early, so abruptly.