Panchayat Season 4 Review: The Fragrance of the Soil Has Faded, Filled with Dirty Politics and Vulgar Dialogues

By Shantiswaroop Tripathi

• Rating: 2 Stars
• Producers: Arunabh Kumar, Deepak Kumar Mishra, and Chandan Kumar for TVF Creations
• Writer: Chandan Kumar
• Directors: Akshat Vijayvargiya and Deepak Kumar Mishra
• Cast: Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Faisal Malik, Chandan Roy, Sanvikaa, Durgesh Kumar, Sunita Rajwar, and Pankaj Jha
• Duration: 8 episodes of 32 to 48 minutes each, approx. 5.5 hours total
• OTT Platform: Streaming on Prime Video from June 24

When TVF first brought the web series "Panchayat," it felt like a breath of fresh air. We were transported straight to the village of Phulera, where we could smell the scent of rural life and feel the emotions and sentiments of the villagers. The scene of Prahlad Cha’s son’s martyrdom brought tears to our eyes. But now, with the arrival of Season 4, the rural essence has vanished — even though the roads in Phulera village remain unbuilt. This season replaces the charming rustic dialogues with vulgar and obscene lines and actions. The series has now become merely a mirror of dirty politics.

The writers and directors seem so engrossed in portraying political drama that they’ve failed to do justice to several characters. Even the mention of social media feels shallow. That’s why viewers are now disillusioned with “Panchayat Season 4,” which began streaming on Prime Video on June 24.

Story

In Season 3, the Pradhan (Raghubir Yadav) was shot. Secretary Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar), Bhushan, and MLA Chandu were implicated. The secretary is worried that the case will ruin his career. Bhushan is troubled that he won’t be able to contest elections. The MLA fears losing his seat. To uncover who shot the Pradhan, the MLA takes matters into his own hands. Meanwhile, Panchayat elections have arrived in Phulera. Naturally, ED and CBI make appearances too.

Once again, the real contest is between the Pradhan and Bhushan (Durgesh Kumar), though officially it’s between Manju Devi (Neena Gupta) and Kranti Devi (Sunita Rajwar), representing the bottle gourd and pressure cooker symbols, respectively. Who wins, and what becomes of the Secretary’s future, is revealed over the course of the season… but —

Review

Season 3 had already hinted that the writers and directors at TVF had exhausted their creativity. Perhaps success has gone to their heads, leading them to believe that viewers would watch anything they produce. But that arrogance is what’s brought them to this downfall.

There is absolutely nothing in Season 4 that would make the average viewer feel it’s worth their time. The depiction of rural lifestyle, humor, and daily issues of villagers is sorely lacking. The storyline feels dragged out like a stretched rubber band. The political content is so forced in that the earlier charm and simplicity of Phulera feel like things of the past.

Each episode is long, as in previous seasons, but this time lacks any real conflict. The arcs of characters like the Pradhan, Secretary, Vikas (Chandan Roy), and Prahlad (Faisal Malik) are less developed. Female characters simply chase after the men. Just when you feel Manju Devi is ready to assert her power as the real ‘Pradhan,’ and Rinki wants to carve her own identity, they are watered down. Even Kranti Devi, once a popular rogue, now appears weak.

There are no genuine romantic moments between Rinki (Sanvikaa) and the Secretary. They appear together briefly in the seventh episode, but even that scene lacks impact. Rinki’s character is poorly developed, and her only contribution is to post for her mother on social media. The addition of her grandfather and the character Billu feels entirely forced.

Some scenes between Binod and Prahlad are well-executed. Credit must be given to the writers for sharply critiquing how politicians exploit the martyrdom of soldiers. In one scene, the MP (Swanand Kirkire) tells Prahlad, "Chhavi to Pradhan ji ka bhi saaf-suthra hai, lekin woh ek shaheed ke pita nahin hain na” (Even Pradhan Ji has a clean image, but he’s not a martyr’s father.) But after this scene, the writers and directors fail to build on the emotion and gravitas. A contradiction in the script is that the Secretary’s deep love for Phulera is shown, yet he does nothing for the village’s development. He merely follows the Pradhan around.

The revelation of who shot the Pradhan is handled bizarrely. Even the Pradhan’s dialogue, “Raajneeti hai yeh raajneeti, gudda-gudiya ka khel nahi. Sab kuch accha hi accha hoga — yeh jhooth, fareb, makkari... yahi hai iska asli khel. Khel sakte ho to khelo, nahin to chhodo.” (This is politics, not a game of dolls. Everything will be fine? No! Lies, deceit, cunning — this is the real game. Play if you can, or step away), which could have been powerful, fails to leave an impact. The MLA beating a man with a whip to extract a confession is absurd — instead of pressuring the police, he himself breaks the law.

Acting

Ashok Pathak as Binod and Faisal Malik as Prahlad leave a mark. Jitendra Kumar as the Secretary fails to shine. Raghubir Yadav showcases his acting skills as the Pradhan, but doesn't deliver what’s expected. Neena Gupta as Manju Devi appears weaker this time. Sunita Rajwar’s rowdy persona is also diminished. Sanvikaa retains Rinki’s innocence convincingly. Swanand Kirkire (MP) and Pankaj Jha (MLA) have little scope to perform.

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