Panchayat season 2 review: benefits enormously from the performances and meritorious writing

OTT web series Panchayat 2 review

If the first season focused on Abhishek's career plans and his personal journey in the rural set up, the second season pitches him as an established player in the game between Pradhan ji and his notorious opponent Bhushan (a brilliant Durgesh Kumar), who certifies as the worst pain in life that anyone could ever have ! Meanwhile, Prahlad and Vikas struggle with their doubts regarding the equation between Abhishek and Rinki. But i wish their dynamics found more space and nurturing in this season.

Director Deepak Kumar Mishra infuses more life and ingenious humor into the milieu of Phulera.

The rustic charm of the village, it's simple and innocent inhabitants had struck the right chord with the audience. He gets most of it right, thanks to the meritorious writing by Chandan Kumar.

But the initial episodes lack the verve and the unbridled charm of Panchayat. The plot gains momentum and mojo only towards the later ones.

Mishra assembles and extracts the best from his sterling starcast. Jitendra lends an unmistakable depth to his character. Though he is the hub of the plot, he gets so seamlessly blended with the overall assortment of characters and their antics. In the first season, we saw his predicament and dilemmas, in this he slips into the comfort zone of helming his responsibility as the 'sachiv ji'.

Both Raghuveer Yadav and Neena Gupta are actors par excellence and they spruce up the humor quotient. Their crackling chemistry is the USP of the show. Gupta is particularly fabulous in the sequence where she negotiates the mud price with one of the men who has dropped in at her house. Or the part where she indulges in a cat fight with Bhushan's boisterous wife, Kranti Devi, played by Sunita Rajwar. She bites into her part, quite literally! An earnest Chandan Roy gives a goofy yet charming  dimension to Vikas.

Final words

TVF's Panchayat was a welcome relief during the unfailing cynicism and the achingly uncertain times of the pandemic in early 2020, the sequel cements the euphoria further and reinforces our belief in the simple pleasures of life!

I go with 3.5 stars. The 10-episode series is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.