Released on 3rd April 2020, Panchayat is an Indian Hindi language comedy-drama web series. This series revolves around the life of an engineering graduate who, in order to protect himself from unemployment, joins the position of secretary in the Panchayat office in the Phulera village. This village illustrates a new situation in front of Abhishek on a daily basis. To make his life better, Abhishek starts preparing for the CAT examination. It is intriguing to watch how he deals with each situation and keeps himself motivated while preparing for the CAT examination.
This wonderful series is directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra and written by Chandan Kumar. The Viral Fever has created this series for the Amazon Prime video.
The series has received numerous positive responses in India, including acting, dialogue delivery, script, and filming locations. Its actors are applauded for doing heart-warming performances. Not just this, Panchayat season 1 has won all the nominations under the category of comedy-drama at Filmfare OTT Awards except for Best Actress nomination. Despite being nominated for many awards, it has not won a single award.
Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Chandan Roy, and Faisal Malik play the lead roles in this series and have received critical acclaim as well as the audience’s appreciation.
The film set of the series was made in a village in Madhya Pradesh. The entire scene of Panchayat season 1 was filmed in this village even though the series has shown that the Phulera is a village in Uttar Pradesh.
Panchayat Season 1
Panchayat season 1 follows the life of Abhishek, the Panchayat secretary of the Phulera village. Each episode is independent of the previous episode. There are eight episodes in the first season of the series. Each episode has a running time of 22 to 40 minutes. Let us see them, shall we?
Episode 1: “Gram Panchayat Phulera”
The first episode introduces us to the series’ main characters Abhishek Tripathi, Manju Devi, Brij Bushan Dubey, Vikas, and Prahlad. It also shows us how Abhishek ended up being a Panchayat secretary.
Episode 2: “Bhootha Ped”
Abhishek is preparing for the CAT examination, but he cannot study at night because of the electricity problem. There’s a contradiction inside the village regarding a tree that can walk during the night. Abhishek is determined to solve this paradox of the scary tree which ultimately will solve the electricity problem.
Episode 3: “Chakke Wali Kursi”
Abhishek brings a chair with wheels in it for himself. But because of the absence of this kind of chair in the village, Bri Bhusan starts feeling jealousy toward Abhishek. There’s a marriage going on in the Phulera village. How this marriage will prove a loss for Abhishek, you will get to see in the episode.
Episode 4: “Humara Neta Kaisa Ho”
Abhishek is assigned to put up banners inside the village. However, one banner creates disturbance when BDO rejects their appeal to cancel putting up that one particular banner. Because of all this, Brij Bhusan loses the chance to win the next election.
Episode 5: “Computer Nahi Monitor”
Drunken Abhishek forgets to lock the door. As a result, someone steals the monitor. What new circumstances will this robbery create in front of Abhishek, and how does he deal with it? You will get to know this after watching the episode.
Episode 6: “Bahut Hua Samman”
For the very first time, Abhishek fights with some rogues. These rogues are from another village. They meet Abhishek in the Pakauli market and get mad at Vikas and Abhishek when Vikas tells them not to sit on Abhishek’s bike.
Episode 7: “Ladka Tez Hai Lekin”
Tired of finding a groom for his daughter, Brij Bhushan, for the very first time, see Abhishek as a perfect groom for his daughter. Putting Abhishek into complete darkness, Brij Bhushan starts taking his test. Every time he passes the test, Brij Bhushan gets confidence that Abhishek will clear the examination. The answer to the question of whether Abhishek clears the exam or not is in the episode.
Episode 8: “Jab Jago Tabhi Savera”
Unhappy with the exam result, Abhishek goes to take Manju Devi’s sign on some documents at her house. Here, Manju Devi starts taunting him for his failure. In response to this, Abhishek says that she, too, is not performing her duties and that every female Mukhiya is better than her. Republic day is arriving, Abhishek’s words influenced her mind, and she decided to hoist the flag this year.
Panchayat Season 2
Similar to the first season of Panchayat, there are a total of 8 episodes in Panchayat season 2. All eight episodes were released on 18 May 2022. Each episode has a running time of 30 to 45 minutes. Directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra and written by Chandan Kumar, this season too follows Abhishek’s life in the Phulera village. One can stream Panchayat season 2 on Amazon Prime Video.
Episode 1: “Nach”
This episode starts from the part where episode 8 of the first season has left. Vikas and Prahlad both have doubts about Abhishek and Rinky. They think that something is going on between these two. Parmeshwar is the one to whom Bridge Bhushan Dubey sells soil every year. At his request, Brij Bhushan Dubey provided him soil at a very low price. But this year, Abhishek plans to bring Manju Devi to negotiate with him. However, the plan goes wrong, and Abhishek finds himself in another challenging situation.
Episode 2: “Bol Chaal Band”
The main road of the village has been brutally damaged. Bhushan comes to report the problem in the Panchayat. However, according to Brij Bushan Dubey, Bhushan is a scoundrel and is about to stand in the next election. Bhushan starts teasing Abhishek that he is a brown nose of Brij Bushan Dubey. Affected by this, Abhishek starts ignoring Pradhan’s family.
Episode 3: “Kranti”
The DM is coming to raid the village to check if anyone is going to the field or not. If she finds anyone in the fields, she cancels the ODF of the village. Bhushan is determined to take revenge on Abhishek and Brij Bhushan Dubey, and for this, he provokes Vinod to defecate in the field when DM arrives.
Episode 4: “Tension”
A drunk driver collides with a tree and falls unconscious. Abhishek and Vikas bring him home and try everything to bring the driver to his senses. On the other side, Brij Bhushan Dubey is meeting the groom-to-be’s family in a restaurant.
Episode 5: “Jaise Ko Taisa”
Four CCTV cameras have been installed around the village to help villagers. The happiness of installing CCTV does not last long when Abhishek and Pradhan’s family gets to know that Manju Devi wore Bhushan’s wife’s slippers in a hurry while coming from the temple. The problem is that Bhushan thinks that Manju Devi has stolen his wife’s slipper, for which he is going to report an FIR.
Episode 6: “Aukaat”
For constructing the main road, Brij Bushan wants some funds. For this, he, along with Prahlad and Vikas, visits the MLA house. The plan goes wrong when the MLA sends them to strike near railway lines, from where they end up getting arrested. Abhishekh brings them out of the police station, but this upsets the MLA.
Episode 7: “Dost Yaar”
Brij Bhushan Dubey is arranging a religious prayer in the village, for which Vikas and Prahlad are accumulating money from villagers. Abhishek’s friends come to see him. When he, along with Abhishek, Vikas, Prahlad, and Brij Bushan Dubey, is drinking, Brij Bushan Dubey tells them that he is inviting the MLA for the prayer. Abhishek gets angry about this because he never thought Brij Bhushan would invite the man who has insulted him. After this, Abhishek questions his importance in his life.
Episode 8: “Parivaar”
There’s a verbal fight between Brij Bhushan Dubey and the MLA. In the morning, when Prahlad talked to his son, he had no idea what destiny had planned for him. While he, Abhishek, Brij Bhushan Dubey, Vikas, and Siddharth are drinking, he gets a phone call regarding his son’s death.