Panchayat 3: In the game of politics, innocence is often the first casualty
What did ‘Gullak’ and ‘Panchayat’ have in common? Innocence. In the last three seasons, ‘Gullak’ has maintained the innocence of its characters, even when the plot occasionally ventured into melodrama, keeping its heart in the right place. To maintain consistent quality writing across three seasons is no mean feat, yet ‘Gullak’ has only gotten better with each season. Now, you must be wondering why we are talking about ‘Gullak’ when ‘Panchayat’ season 3 is here. This is because ‘Gullak’ has succeeded where ‘Panchayat’ has faltered. In its third season, ‘Gullak’ retained its charm and innocence, while the beloved ‘Panchayat’ sacrificed some of its innocence amidst the complexities of politics in the ‘quiet’ Phulera.
The way season 2 of ‘Panchayat’ ended with Prahlad’s (Faisal Khan) soldier son’s death, it did set the stage for a more serious tone in Season 3 and there’s nothing wrong with it. In fact, Faisal’s storyline this season is outstanding, giving us some of the most heartwarming and intense moments. Take for example, the scene where he tells the village ‘pradhan’, Neena Gupta (Manju Devi), at the DM’s office, “Samay se pehle koi nahi jaega,” referring to Sachiv Ji’s (Jeetendra Kumar) premature transfer and also subtly narrating his own son’s untimely death. You can feel his grief. Another powerful moment is his interaction with an elderly woman, who wants a pucca house for her son, even at the cost of her own life. Prahlad’s words, “Khaali ghar kaatne ko daudta hai,” reflect his emotional struggle. This season, Prahlad’s character shows the most growth. Neena Gupta’s character has blossomed, too, stepping out of her husband’s shadow to make key decisions as the village ‘pradhan’. However, the rest of the ‘favourite’ Phulera gang - Jitendra, Raghubir Yadav (Pradhan-pati) and Chandan Roy (Vikas) - didn’t experience as much development as in the previous seasons. MBA aspirant Sachiv Ji had fewer engaging scenes this season. Despite this, the slow-paced, old-world romance between Rinki and Sachiv Ji remains true to the essence of ‘Panchayat’.
The entry of MLA Chandrakishore (Pankaj Jha) introduces a new layer to the story, bringing tension to Phulera. It also betters the character arcs of Bhushan (Durgesh Kumar), Sunita Rajwar as Kranti Devi (Bhushan’s wife) and Ashok Pathak as Vinod. This rival faction, comically portrayed, contrasts with Manju Devi’s group, yet they preserve the soul of ‘Panchayat’. Despite their rivalry, they come together as a community when an elderly lady suffers, reflecting the enduring spirit of unity in Phulera. The community support is also evident in how the village rallies around Prahlad during his time of grief and celebrates the news of Vikas’ wife’s pregnancy. This sense of community retains the old flavour of ‘Panchayat’, where even amidst conflicts, the village stands united in times of need.
But it’s only in the second half of season 3 that the pace slackens and ‘Panchayat’ takes the ‘Mirzapur’ route. Written by Chandan Kumar and directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra, the comedy was intact in the ‘Shanti Samjhauta’ episode and how the ‘gaon ka dulha’ restores prestige, but the momentum falters as the ‘pradhan’ and the Phulera village battles it out with the MLA. It doesn’t feel like ‘Panchayat’ anymore. The innocence of the characters fades, overshadowed by the power play of village politics. While the creators hint at exploring murky politics further in the next season, but for the beloved ‘Panchayat’ fans, it feels less like Phulera and more like ‘Mirzapur’.
Here again, I would like to bring back ‘Gullak’ Season 3, which maintained its charm by restricting itself to five episodes. ‘Panchayat’ Season 3 stretched itself to eight episodes, leading to a lull in the latter half. Nonetheless, the heart of ‘Panchayat’ still resides in its actors, with Faisal, Durgesh and Ashok shining the brightest this time around. The end of Season 3 indicates a shift towards a more political tone, but there’s hope that the innocence that defines ‘Panchayat’ will make a comeback.
