Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar) is still living in Phulera and working as the panchayat secretary. What’s changed is his perspective on life. He’s now seeking love and companionship and also warming towards Phulera despite talks of getting out of there soon. The new season also focuses on village issues involving Pradhanji (Raghubir Yadav), Prahlad (Faisal Mali) and Vikas (Chandan Roy).
A not-so-simple life in the village
At the end of season one, Abhishek climbed up the water tank to meet the Pradhan’s daughter, Rinky (Sanvika). In this season, Abhishek warms towards not just Rinky, but the village as a whole. Aside from sharing awkward smiles and hellos with the Pradhan’s daughter, he has grown to accept the village and its silly drama, while setting up toilet seats for the people and installing new CCTV cameras. Even his talks of getting out of Phulera within a year seem half-hearted.
In fact, Abishek’s relationships with the Pradhan, Prahlad and Vikas get stronger. Despite a few odd fights, they’re always there for each other, whether it is saving Abhishek and his friend from a snake or saving Pradhan, Prahlad and Vikas from going to jail. The four also put up a strong front against their political rivals, Bhushan (Durgesh Kumar) and Kranti Devi (Sunita Rajwar). In the midst of it all, Manju Devi (Neena Gupta) and the Pradhan are busy looking for a groom for their daughter. The former is also slowly warming to the idea of taking more charge as the official Pradhan.
Just like season one, season two takes a light-hearted approach. The villager’s issues range from everything including stolen slippers to a missing goat. But, while the issues are petty, they’re all dealt with in hilarious fashion, without seeming over the top. Each episode comes with a different dilemma, which the characters handle in their own ways.
Neena Gupta and Raghubir Yadav steal the show
Jitendra Kumar, Raghubir Yadav and Neena Gupta are spectacular. The three are complete naturals on screen, displaying the finer nuances of their respective characters with ease. Gupta truly rises to form in this season, as witnessed in the very first episode, in which she negotiates the price of mud with a local brick vendor. Her character is finally given enough screen time to truly shine. Raghubir Yadav too, is immensely watchable as the short-tempered but endearing Pradhan. The appearance of Sunita Rajwar as Kranti Devi, is a welcome one. Even with little screen time,
she manages to do a lot with her character, who aspires to become the next Pradhan. ‘Panchayat 2’ offers much of the same elements that its predecessor brought to the table, albeit with every character getting more time.
WATCH OR NOT
Like the first season, this new set of episodes entertainingly mines everyday village life for heartwarming drama.
Cast: Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Faisal Mali, Chandan Roy
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
