Panchayat (TV series)

Panchayat
Promotional poster
GenreComedy
Drama
Written byChandan Kumar
Directed byDeepak Kumar Mishra
Starring
Music byAnurag Saikia
Country of originIndia
Original languageHindi
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes24
Production
Executive producerSameer Saxena
CinematographyAmitabha Singh
EditorAmit Kulkarni
Running time20–47 minutes
Production companyThe Viral Fever
Original release
NetworkAmazon Prime Video
Release3 April 2020 (2020-04-03) –
present
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Panchayat is an Indian Hindi-language comedy drama streaming television series created by The Viral Fever for Amazon Prime Video. The series, scripted by Chandan Kumar, was directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra, and features Jitendra Kumar, Raghubir Yadav, Neena Gupta, Sanvikaa, Chandan Roy, Durgesh Kumar, Ashok Pathak, Faisal Malik and Sunita Rajwar. It chronicles the life of an engineering graduate who joins as a panchayat secretary in a remote fictional village of Phulera in Uttar Pradesh due to lack of better job options.

The series was shot in a real panchayat office located in Mahodiya of Sehore district, Madhya Pradesh. Sehore district is 40 km from Bhopal, which is the capital city of Madhya Pradesh. The soundtrack and score of the series were composed by Anurag Saikia, whilst the cinematography and editing were performed by Amitabha Singh and Amit Kulkarni, respectively. This series is Mishra's full-fledged attempt at direction after directing the respective second seasons of Permanent Roommates and Humorously Yours!.[1]

Panchayat premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 3 April 2020.[2] The series received mostly positive response from critics, with the performances of the leading actors, scripting, direction and major technical aspects being praised. Critics also appreciated TVF and its producers for coming up with a rural village setting as compared to the previous projects, which is mostly based on the urban atmosphere.[3] At the inaugural ceremony of Filmfare OTT Awards, the series won all the nominations under the Comedy Series category, except for Best Actress. The series was also nominated for Best Original Story, Screenplay, and Dialogues for Chandan Kumar, although it did not receive a win.[4]

The second season of the series was scheduled to be released on 20 May 2022. However, all the episodes were released two days before the actual release date.[5] In this season, Abhishek is seen taking more interest in village politics and developments alongside preparing for CAT exam.

The series was renewed for a third season. It was originally scheduled to premiere on 15 January 2024 but was postponed. The release date was then set as March 2024, but was again postponed. It premiered on 28 May 2024. This season focuses on the Panchayat elections and the politics surrounding it.[6][7][8][9][10]

The series is renewed for a fourth season with a release period of mid 2026. Filming for the fourth season had commenced by the end of October 2024.[11] There are speculations for a fifth season too.[12]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Watch the Trailer for TVF's Panchayat, Out in April on Prime Video". NDTV Gadgets 360. 30 March 2020. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  3. ^ Maheshwari, Aayushi (5 April 2020). "Panchayat : TVF presents new series starring Jitendra Kumar aka Jeetu Bhaiya on Amazon Prime Video 2020". Headlines of Today. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  4. ^ "TVF's Panchayat shines at the Flyx Filmfare OTT Awards 2020 - Times of India". The Times of India. 22 January 2021. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  5. ^ Cyril, Grace. "Amazon Prime Video releases Panchayat Season 2 ahead of the premiere date. Is this why?". India Today. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Season 3 of Panchayat is confirmed — Here's everything you want to know". GQ India. 2 June 2022. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Panchayat director Deepak Kumar Mishra confirms season 3, talks about the death scene: 'We needed something drastic'". The Indian Express. 31 May 2022. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Panchayat Season 3 Confirmed By Jitendra Kumar? Crucial Details Inside". News18. 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  9. ^ "'Panchayat' Season 3 Releasing Soon Find Out All The Updates". Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Panchayat season 3 release date finally announced by Prime Video". 2 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Panchayat Season 4 Filming Begins, Get Ready To Return To Phulera - BTS PICS". Zee News. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  12. ^ Johnson, Nathan (1 June 2024). "Panchayat Season 4 Gets Big Announcement: When Will It Release?". The Direct. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.