One of the most loved Indian franchises is back with its next season. Yes! Amazon Prime Video has released the fourth season of TVF's Panchayat. If you are looking for words to convince or deter you from watching Panchayat season 4 after the debacle of the previous season, then you are at the right place. As revealed by the makers, the fourth instalment centres on the Gram Panchayat elections, where current Pradhan Manju Devi and new candidate Karnti Devi lock horns. Amid all this, Sachiv Ji is awaiting his exam results and is also having a love story more outwardly now, while the camaraderie between the four main male characters remains stagnant. However, this time the grip seemed to be loosening, and the authentic rural wind of Panchayat seemed not to be blowing.
Story
For those who watched the previous season, they must remember that it ended with a desi fight that started with Abhishek slapping Banrakas Bhushan Sharma (Durgesh Kumar). Now, in the fourth season, the first few minutes make it clear that while Pradhan Ji (Raghubir Yadav) has filed a complaint against Vidhayak and Banrakas for firing a shot at him, Bhushan, on the other hand, has also filed a complaint against Sachiv Ji for hitting him. Panchayat season 4 begins with Abhishek Kumar, aka Sachiv Ji (Jitendra Kumar), having an outburst and a drunken moment, as he feels his career is doomed. A man who has high hopes of making it to IIM after having a good exam but has an FIR filed against him even bends the knee in front of arch rival to save his career, but all this goes in vain after the extra involvement of MLA Chandrakishore Singh (Pankaj Jha).
However, the makers soon jump to another pivotal matter, which is the Panchayat elections. While Manju Devi and her injured husband have a confident run at the campaign, it must be noted that Bhushan and Karnti Devi seemed more prominent and influential in the whole 'advertise to attract voters' thing. They are not only more creative this time but also aim to win. On the other hand, Vikas (Chandan Roy) and his wife make use of Prahlad Cha's money only to cry over it. But Prahlad Pandey (Faisal Malik), who refused to contest in the elections, gets a better offer. But will he accept it? Will Sachiv Ji clear his CAT this time? Will Manju Devi win the elections? And most importantly, if not Banrakas, then who wanted to shoot Pradhan Ji? You'll have to tune in to Prime Video's Panchayat Season 4 to know the answers to these questions.
Direction
It's the makers that have turned out to be the biggest disappointment this season. Just like season 3, this time too, they fail to live up to the expectations that they only set with the first two seasons. The big lessons and messages through small stories, which were the USP of the panchayat, have been diminished. It has all been taken over by the bigger plot, which is the Panchayat elections. However, the female characters that seemed equal in the initial seasons were completely in the back seat this time, and the male characters were given the chance to move out of their character frame and look stupid. Pradhan Ji and Sachiv Ji having unnecessary outbursts seemed unnecessary. Moreover, Vikas and Prahlad's emotional scenes did not connect this time. On the other hand, Neena Gupta did not have much to do this season.
Both director Deepak Kumar Mishra and writer Chandan Kumar have not only successfully killed the authentic vibe of Panchayat but also have not learnt anything after the feedback of season three. The problem with the fourth instalment is just the same. The side stories have been completely removed to focus on the main character, and that's why the season looks dragged out and, after a point, underwhelmingly boring. While the characters that looked good are bending the lines, and hence, the bad don't look bad. The entry of Swanand Kirkire was also ineffective. While there were a lot of expectations with this season after the debacle of the previous one, it is so unsatisfying to say the makers are to be held responsible for ruining a good franchise with no improvement.
The music of Panchayat season 4 is also disappointing. While every season had something memorable to offer, this time, it's not the case. The title track from the first, Khali Khali Sa from the second, Aasman Rootha, and Hinda Ka Sitara from the third were something that we all cherish till now, but season 4 had no new song. Moreover, the usage of old songs like Aasman Rootha and Des Mera Rangrez was saddening, to say the least.
Acting
The only good thing about Panchayat season 4 is its cast. Everyone from the series is now settled in their characters and understands what is expected of them. Be it leads like Jitendra and Neena or supporting cast like Tripti Sahu (Vikas's wife, Khushboo), they all do justice to their parts. If only the makers had offered something new to them to explore. New addition Swanand Kirkire was the weakest link this season. One of the old cast that will win you over yet again is Faisal Malik. His emotional as well as comic timings are too good. Raghubir Yadav did overdo it in some scenes, but it's good to see Sanvikaa (Rinki) coming out of her own.
Verdict
The biggest pain for an audience is to see a film or series maker kill the essence of their own creation by making unnecessary parts. This is the biggest problem with the Indian film and series franchise. And Panchayat turned out to be a classic example of it. While the makers have dragged some parts of the series, while watching Panchayat season 4, Phulera will still feel like a second home. These characters, who are now our comfort watch, are the same and are watchable. This season too has its fair share of emotional and comical scenes and hence could be given a try. Panchayat season 4 deserves 2.5 stars for its overall performance.
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