Set against a rural backdrop, Panchayat narrates the journey and events in the life of an engineering graduate, who for the lack of any better jobs takes up the position of the secretary of the village panchayat chief. What follows is Abhishek's first time encounter with the life, dialogue and people of India's other side that that takes him closer to living life.
TVF is known to take alternative stories and push them into mainstream. They did it with Kota Factory and once again they have successfully managed to create a village comedy that is devoid of forced situational comedy or harsh stereotypical jokes. The comedy and light hearted relief exists not merely in the dialogues but the characters themselves and once you start relating with them, their interaction is what drives the show forward. Chandan Roy as Vikas, and Faisal Malik as Prahlad deliver breakthrough performances with their comic timings and innocent approach to the life and troubles of Abhishek played wonderfully once again by the talented Jitendra Kumar.
The scenes and stories are wonderfully executed as most of them revolve around insignificant events that become important only when you place them in the setting and the people around them. Apart from the comedy, the story also drives Abhishek's journey from hating the village to slowly loving and accepting the people around him. Obviously, the show will return for a second season given it ends with multiple cliffhanger, but what TVF does best is making a show that remains re-watchable because even more than the script or screenplay, you fall in love with the characters that would stay in your heart long after the end credits roll.
I had always considered Indian comedy series to be a lost cause given their need for slapstick humour and no emotional storytelling. However, TVF has once again proved that they can manage to create a story and characters that would re-define Indian television even if it is through streaming services. For anyone who has been having a tough time in 2020 with all that has been going around, nothing can be a better watch than Panchayat to lift your spirits up.
