Panchayat's greatest triumph is showing us how patriarchy and gentle masculinity can co-exist

Indian Express

7 hours ago

Panchayat was the proverbial dark horse when it started streaming on Amazon Prime Video five years ago. Created by TVF, the fourth season of the show drops on the 24th of June, bringing us more lighthearted drama from the imaginary village of Phulera and its interesting bunch of residents. Released after the success of shows like Sacred Games, Mirzapur and Jamtara, which were all darker and more violent, Panchayat distinguished itself not just by its tone and treatment, but by showing us that even in a patriarchal setting, masculinity can be gentle. The show's realistic and empathetic tone did not force heroism on its men or subservience on its women.
In Phulera, men are in positions of power simply because they have never known an alternative. It is not as if they possess any special talent, particular capability, or machismo that qualifies them to make decisions for a small village community. Pradhanji, or Pradhan Pati Brij Bhushan Dubey (Raghubir Yadav), is performing the duties of a Panchayat head, despite his wife being the elected representative through a government reservation policy. Though they maintain the public appearance of having conventional gender roles, within their home, Pradhanji's wife, Manju Devi (Neena Gupta), serves him both puris and pearls of wisdom laced with plenty of sass and sarcasm. She is the more capable one between the two of them, a fact he also acknowledges when he seeks her counsel and opinion on important matters. Most people would have written Pradhanji as a rustic brute, but in this show, he is a man who masks his inadequacies as a leader by people-pleasing his way through the world.
What I found most interesting was that despite his orthodox background, he is willing to change and accept criticism and feedback from others. Whether it's Abhishek calling him out on his inability to take a stand for his team, or the female district magistrate telling him to help his wife, not replace her, Pradhanji is open to unlearning his old ways. By the end of season 3, he and Manju Devi are both participating in Panchayat activities, and she finally gets to be the leader she always had the potential to be.
Panchayat's protagonist, Abhishek (Jitendra Kumar), started as one of the most non-heroic heroes created in recent times. In season 1, he seemed like a blend of Ayushmann Khurrana's character from Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Shah Rukh Khan's Mohan Bhargava in Swades. Planted in an alien environment and in a job that he considers a massive step down, Abhishek is a grouchy, irritable man who throws himself a fairly long pity party. But there is an innate decency about him that helps us root for him. While he does get his 'hero' moments where he bashes up a few goons, he is not looking to pick a fight or act aggressively simply because he is a man or in a position to influence important decisions. On one occasion, he accompanies Prandhanji's daughter Rinky (Sanvikaa) and her friend to a restaurant. While settling the bill, he refuses to accept money from Rinky and says that neither of the women earns any money. As soon as the words come out of his mouth, Abhishek corrects himself and says that while they don't work now, they can always take up a job in the future. This little moment over the payment of the bill is an eye-opener on how even educated and city-bred men harbour discriminatory attitudes against women. But being self-aware of the moments when conditioning slips past filters of a learned liberal attitude is what matters. In another episode, when a drunk man lands up at their office and tells Abhishek and Vikas (Chandan Roy) how the pressure of being a provider on a low salary drove him to alcoholism, it has a deep impact on the young man. The drunkard's plight is also a testimony to how patriarchy and defining gender roles are as unfair to men as it is to women.
Through various incidents laced with humour and pathos, Panchayat highlights how masculinity is often performative. There is a sequence in the first season where a girl from Phulera gets married, and the groom and his friends are accommodated inside the Panchayat office because he demands a separate area to sit in. The groom, who is seen blushing at the mention of his wedding night, is then egged on by his friends to assert his importance as the groom and throw his weight around. The entire episode and how a room full of people gather just to pacify one man simply because he is the groom, illustrates how men can be associated with strength and yet have the most fragile sense of self-worth. In another incident, when a bunch of goons get after the Phulera men, Pradhanji and Prahlad (Faisal Malik) advise Abhishek to wear a leather jacket – often associated with a hero-looking macho – so that it will hurt less when he gets beaten. The goons attempting to beat them start squabbling about who will remove their belt to start the fight, because one of their pants is loose. All instances of violence, except the last episode of season 3, where Pradhanji gets shot, are underlined with humour at the lack of heroism being shown by the men fighting. They yelp in pain and try to protect themselves from blows, subverting the entire 'mard ko dard nahin hota' stereotype.
To be fair, the show isn't without toxic men or men who are completely unlike the Phulera foursome. MLA Chandrakishore Singh (Pankaj Jha), seen from their point of view, seems obnoxious for spouting profanity and being disrespectful, quite like the goons and dons that populate many other OTT shows. There is also an abrasive local cop who gets involved when there is a robbery in the panchayat office, Bhushan, who has become Pradhanji's political rival in Phulera and Swanand Kirkire's character, who will learn more about in Season 4. One can only hope that with the involvement of new characters, the show's commitment to presenting its leading men as real and relatable is not diluted.
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Truth be told, the best moments in the show are when Abhishek, Pradhanji, Prahlad and Vikas (Chandan Roy) spend time together. Unlike men in cities who face a screen and watch sports, the Phulera men face each other and talk. Whether by intention or by its tonality, Panchayat avoids any misogynistic jokes or 'men will be men' moments. Instead, it allows its men to be flawed, floundering, frustrated and in the case of Prahlad, heartbroken. When Abhishek snaps that he has no friends in Phulera, Pradhanji, Prahlad, and Vikas cheer him up by buying beer and having a little party in an open field. They also add him to a WhatsApp group where any of the men can message HI when they want to catch up. When Prahlad's son Rahul dies on the border, the men rally around him, holding his hand as he breaks down and cries, making sure he eats and feeling his joy when he laughs for the first time after months. These are men who aren't afraid to be vulnerable in front of each other or ask for support. For this reason alone, Panchayat is a show that should be celebrated. I am looking forward to Season 4, and where it takes us and the lauki-loving Phulera residents.