TVF’s Panchayat series, once hailed as a heartfelt depiction of rural life, returns with its fourth season — but this time, the charm feels stretched thin. Known for
TVF’s Panchayat series, once hailed as a heartfelt depiction of rural life, returns with its fourth season — but this time, the charm feels stretched thin. Known for its endearing characters, gentle humour, and celebration of stillness, Panchayat was never in a hurry to get anywhere. It relied on the mundane to create meaning, offering a refreshing counterpoint to fast-paced thrillers dominating Indian OTT. But with Season 4, the once-soulful slow ride begins to feel like it’s circling the same village lanes with nowhere new to go.
The new season picks up where Season 3 left off — pradhan-pati Dubey (Raghubir Yadav) recovering from a bullet wound, and Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar) heading to write his CAT exam. Season 4 inches towards a dual climax: the results of both Abhishek’s MBA dreams and the looming Phulera village elections. But what was earlier leisurely and textured now risks becoming formulaic and repetitive. The slow-burn storytelling has mutated into extended delays, giving the impression of stalling for the sake of stretching the franchise.
The primary narrative tension revolves around the election showdown between the incumbent team and the loud, petty villainy of Bhushan (Durgesh Kumar), supported by the scheming MLA (Pankaj Jha). Unfortunately, these antagonists offer no new conflict dimensions. Their bad blood with the protagonists feels recycled and predictable. The use of musical cues and slapstick dynamics is more irritating than amusing, diluting the series’ once-understated emotional palette.
One of the most glaring issues is the lack of real stakes. The central cast — Vikas, Prahlad, Manju Devi, and Abhishek — continue to operate in a vacuum. There’s barely any engagement from the village beyond stock extras. The tension of a local election should ripple through the community, but here, it feels like a private affair between two groups. Where are the voters? The soul of Phulera, once felt through subtle details and ambient presence, now appears hollow — a set dressed to look like a village rather than lived-in reality.
Abhishek’s arc, which has always represented the outsider’s struggle to find belonging, also feels stagnant. His romance with Rinki (Sanvikaa) continues to simmer without boiling, while his repeated dilemma of whether to leave Phulera or stay begins to wear thin. His drunken adventure in the first episode and his ambiguous farewell further highlight a storytelling loop that fails to evolve meaningfully.
The show tries to counter monotony with emotional bursts — meltdowns, musical montages, rants, and sudden reconciliations. But many of these moments feel engineered rather than earned. For instance, Bhushan’s wife flinging dirt at Vikas and Prahlad should’ve sparked a longer, deeper rift. Instead, it’s resolved within minutes, sacrificing realism for a tidy closure. Similarly, the MLA’s comic subplot feels like an afterthought, inserted to add spice but ending up as a tonal mismatch.
That said, not everything falls flat. The series still has flashes of brilliance — quiet moments, earthy humour, and a few touching scenes, like Manju Devi’s father becoming the moral compass in one episode. Dubey’s ambiguous use of his shooting incident for sympathy adds political nuance, suggesting a deeper moral greyness. These glimpses remind us of the show’s original strength: showing how the smallest decisions are influenced by what others might think.
But for a show that once made inertia look poetic, Panchayat Season 4 feels like it’s moving without momentum. Its emotional currency is devalued by repetition, and its narrative seems more focused on preservation than progression. What started as a fresh and grounded portrayal of rural India now teeters on the edge of self-parody, saved only by the enduring likability of its central cast.
As viewers, we can only hope the creators acknowledge this fatigue and either reinvigorate the premise with bold choices or allow the series a graceful end. After all, even the slow-cycling race needs a destination.
A: Yes, if you’re a fan of the earlier seasons and invested in the characters. However, expect a slower, more repetitive narrative this time around.
A: Yes, it picks up right after Season 3’s cliffhanger involving a village election and Abhishek’s MBA exam journey.
A: The season suffers from narrative fatigue, lack of community involvement, repetitive conflict, and emotional scenes that often feel forced.
A: Minimal. While some emotional moments stand out, most characters, including Abhishek and Dubey, remain in familiar arcs with little evolution.
A: While not officially confirmed, the open-ended conclusion suggests the creators might be planning another season, possibly with a refreshed direction.
