We are back to village Phulera, Block Fakauli, District Baliya, and back to the life of Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar) aka sachiv ji. Nothing has changed in the sleepy village of Phulera in the second season of 'Panchayat'. The second season starts from where it left off in the first season- the village is the same, its problems have not changed nor the people, even the ringtone of pradhanji has not changed but Abhishek Tripathi is not the same, he seems to have adjusted to the job he resented the most in the previous season. Frown has been replaced by a smile and he has started knowing his ways around the village and its people. He still aspires to clear CAT and get a dreamy corporate job in the city. The actual Gram Pradhan Manju Devi (Neena Gupta) is more confident in her role as a Pradhan this time around and shows interest in the village work. Though her husband (Raghubir Yadav) is still the one who makes every decision, he listens to her advice.
If you loved season one of the show, you will enjoy the latest season too because it too will transport you to simpler times and simple life. The eight episodes take you to the daily mundane life of the village, and yet it takes you away from the mundanity of your own life. It’s the kind of escapism that we all crave in our lives.
Directed by Dipak Kumar Mishra and written by Chandan Kumar, the show has many endearing moments, there may not be many scenes to make you laugh out loud but you will have a constant smile on your face while watching it. Well, at least for seven and a half episodes as the storyline takes a tragic turn towards the end and you will need a box of tissue to get through the last few minutes of the show.
Here are a few things that make 'Panchayat 2' flavour of the season when it comes to OTT shows:
No stereotyping of Indian villages and their stories: Fulera is as real as it can be and is not a stereotypical village of most of the recent shows, that have foul language, violence, gangster, and gore at its core. Most of the shows seem to follow a pattern when it comes to stories of the hinterland but 'Panchayat' is like a breath of fresh air amidst all those series that almost look and feel the same.
Beauty lies in the simplicity of life: Barring the last episode, there is nothing major in terms of plot twist or storyline. It’s the little things or situations that create humour out of the eccentricities of daily, mundane life – people, including ‘pradhanji’ defecating in open even after the village has been declared open defecation free just because of old habit, a CCTV installation used to find a missing goat or a pair of slippers, Vikas (Chandan Roy) talking about his wife’s loose motion and how many times she had been to the washroom.
The camaraderie between the four characters: The highlight of the show is the camaraderie between Sachivji (Jitendra Kumar), his assistant Vikas (Chandan Roy), Pradhanji (Raghubir Yadav), deputy pradhan Prahlad (Faisal Malik). Their bond has grown in this season and these four characters are more like a family to each other, they fight for each other, take care of each other, and have expectations from one another. This unusual friendship creates many beautiful moments that make 'Panchayat' season 2 all the more entertaining and emotional too.
Pitch perfect actors: Every actor in the show is perfect and takes the script a notch higher with their acting. Be it Neena Gupta as Manju Devi who has more screen time this season or Jitendra Kumar in his scenes with pradhanji’s daughter Rinky (Saanvika) or even Vinod (Ashok Pathak) the villager who is waiting eagerly for a toilet seat for his washroom at home. Special mention to Raghubir Yadav who is a treat to watch in every single frame, particularly in the last scene where he just nails the body language and expressions. Watching him is like being in a beautiful dream of Mungerilal (if you know the reference) where everything just feels good.
Doesn’t try too hard: 'Panchayat 2' doesn’t try to be something it’s not. The makers don’t try to be preachy, there is no forced comedy and no contrived storyline. Everything in the show is organic and not force-fed to the audience. There is a scene where Abhishek asks a nauch girl why she doesn’t quit this profession. The girl replies, “har koi kahin na kahin naach hi raha hai.” The answer makes Abhishek speechless and makes the audience think about their own lives. Manju Devi asks her daughter to change the way she speaks for a prospective groom but is cut short by pradhanji as he doesn’t think his daughter should change for someone. Scenes like these are fitted into the narrative seamlessly.
In one of the scenes, Abhishek’s friend, who is on a one-day trip to Phulera, tired from various animal encounters he had during the day asks Abhishek to sleep outside so that he can sleep under the shed, he later changes his mind and sleeps out in open to see the clear sky and stars as he can’t do that in the city. Watching 'Panchayat 2' is also like watching that clear sky and stars at night – it gives you a sense of relief and makes you forget for a while what lies in your life ahead