Phulera Feels Like Home—Perhaps Too Much So in 'Panchayat Season 4'

Most of the season builds tension around the Panchayat election, and the political games both sides play to win!

Neena Gupta and Raghubir Yadav in a still from Panchayat season 4 

(Photo Courtesy: YouTube) 

When Prime Video’s Panchayat premiered five years ago, it was pathbreaking in its slice-of-life storytelling, situational comedy, and wholesome, heartwarming vibes.

For most of its first season, not much “happened” in terms of plot. Its characters would find themselves in various situations, each reflecting different facets of village life. The perfect antidote for the COVID-19 lockdown, Panchayat became an instant favourite.

Beyond its effective comedy, the series, created by Deepak Kumar Mishra and Chandan Kumar, also served as a thoughtful exploration of masculinity and middle-class aspiration.

But over four seasons, the show’s journey largely mirrored that of India’s streaming landscape. It grew in scale while trying to retain the elements that made it special, but with mixed success, often sacrificing authenticity for appeal and novelty for tried-and-tested formulas.

Season 4 Stays True, But the Magic is Missing

Luckily, Panchayat season 4 doesn’t go into Mirzapur or Gangs of Wasseypur territory as the season 3 finale seemed to suggest. The series remains a largely entertaining, lighthearted comedy.

The characters stay the same, with the cast still in top form. The whimsical music score is just as fun. The bromance is intact, and the romance is still slow-cooking. Episodes don’t begin with staged hooks or end with forceful cliffhangers, like most streaming shows today.

But despite the earnest storytelling, the spark is missing. The laughs are less frequent, and the emotion less resonant. It felt overly plot-driven, compromising its quiet, observational quality that once made it magical.

Panchayat’s original premise centered on Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar), an urban engineering graduate whose only employment offer is to be a low-paid secretary ("Sachivji") of a gram panchayat in the tiny village of Phulera. Through the seasons, the series develops the tussle between his ambition to clear his CAT exam to pursue an MBA and his growing fondness for the village. This is meant to be the core of the show.

Jitendra Kumar in a still from Panchayat season 4.

(Photo Courtesy: YouTube) 

A Familiar World With Less Depth and Direction

Season 4 opens with Abhishek panicking about the ensuing police case against him for getting into a scuffle with Bhushan (Durgesh Kumar), Vinod (Ashok Pathak), and MLA Chandrakishore "Chandu" Singh (Pankaj Jha) over them allegedly ordering a hit on Brij Bhushan Dubey aka “Pradhanji” (Raghubir Yadav).

Did Sachivji manage to clear his CAT exam this time, and will that matter if he gets convicted? Who ordered the hit on Pradhanji—was it really Chandu and gang?

These questions are largely subsumed by the ongoing Panchayat election and the rivalry between Manju Devi (Neena Gupta) and Kranti Devi (Sunita Rajwar).

Most of the season builds tension around the election and the various political games both sides play with each other to win.

This makes for some pretty amusing moments, starting with an early bit where they compete over staging a spectacle of cleaning a public space in the village. Both groups try to outdo one another in a cat-and-mouse chase, with the perfectly suited Laapata Ladies hit song “Doubtwa” playing over the montage. 

Another hilarious scene is when Manju Devi and gang try to turn Vinod to their team, courting him with a sumptuous dinner and dessert. It also gives his character a chance to shine, making him one of the most memorable in the ensemble this season—Ashok Pathak is brilliant as always.

Sunita Rajwar in a still from Panchayat season 4.

(Photo Courtesy: YouTube) 

Such gags not only embody the comedic and playful tone of Panchayat but also satirise the absurdities of Panchayat election campaigns—from the conniving political manipulation to the mindless theatrics. It helps further that each actor is so committed to their character that even the most bizarre actions never feel contrived but always make sense from their perspective.

But after a point, the singular focus on the election is not enough to sustain the whole season.

A middle episode where the police investigate a corruption allegation against Team Manju Devi was particularly dragged out. More importantly, however, Panchayat has never just been about the rivalry and the election outcomes, but its sensitive, perceptive gaze on human nature.

The election takes away from Panchayat’s original premise about Abhishek’s arc and how he continues to reconcile his growing love for Phulera with his larger goals.

Even other subplots—like Prahlad coping with his grief, the relationship between Vikas and his wife, and the “will-they-won’t-they” romance between Abhishek and Rinki (Sanvikaa)—get even more sidelined in the process. 

Chandu also gets less to do, which is a shame, as it’s so fun to watch Pankaj Jha relish the unhinged character. I also missed more of the adorable, quirky chemistry between Pradhanji and Manju Devi that defined Panchayat. Raghubir Yadav and Neena Gupta are perfect, but the season has no time for quiet moments between them, squabbling over mundane domestic blues.

Season 4 Doesn't Excel 

Over four seasons, Panchayat has done some incredible world-building and character development, making Phulera feel like home for all of us and its characters like our friends and family. We’re deeply invested in these people, their hopes and challenges as well as their relationships with one another.

As a result, I can’t imagine a bad season of Panchayat, especially when the creators don’t stray outside the genre, remain within Phulera, and continue the same plot.

This season doesn’t disappoint, but it also doesn’t excel, never becoming greater than the sum of its very dependable parts.

Panchayat season 4 is satisfied with serving nostalgia and more of the same familiar gags and rivalries to loyal fans. Like Abhishek accepting the Panchayat job in the first season, we’ll take it, not least because we have little other choice. But like he, too, must decide four seasons in: for how much longer?

(Kaashif is a writer and film critic from Mumbai, currently based in London. He is the Assistant Culture Editor of The Polis Project.)