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Panchayat 2 review: Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta shine in this warm, funny show

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3 years ago

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Panchayat 2 review: Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta shine in this warm, funny show

Prepare to be proven wrong if you thought Panchayat 2 would be a typical light-hearted comedy that has been seen on Indian television for decades. The second season of this slice-of-life dramedy starring Jitendra Kumar premiered on Wednesday, May 18. This time, in addition to providing laughs, the show also challenges you to think, reflect, and, by the end, hold back your tears. It’s not a great show, but it’s certainly entertaining. Panchayat 2 becomes a must-see when you consider the solid performances of its cast and the crisp writing.

The first season of Panchayat followed Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar), who took an unwelcome job as a Panchayat secretary in the middle of nowhere—specifically, in Phulera, a remote village in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. The second season shows how Abhishek, aka Sachiv Ji, has adjusted to his new role in Phulera and formed bonds with the residents, particularly with the village’s former Pradhan (Raghubir Yadav), his wife and the current Pradhan (Neena Gupta), and the other two office-bearers (played by Faisal Malik and Chandan Roy).

The show’s premise is simple enough: how a city boy who has never spent time in a village adjusts to a new life and discovers that some issues are universal over time. The second season had the potential to be repetitive, but Panchayat deftly avoids this. It demonstrates character and story development, allowing Abhishek to discover new aspects of Phulera and its inhabitants. It also avoids a trope that has been used in many shows and films set in rural India: portraying it as an exotic freak show to be laughed at or ridiculed. The Indian village is depicted by Panchayat as a real place with real people. Yes, humour exists, but only in certain circumstances.

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Another positive aspect of Panchayat is that it is not strictly a comedy. There is no laugh track or slapstick humour; only mild situational comedy is featured. It will make you laugh at times and keep you entertained. Its strength, like that of most successful slice-of-life shows over the years (see Wagle Ki Duniya, Ye Jo Hai Zindagi, and even Gullak), lies in presenting an issue or a problem in a straightforward manner. It tackles local politics, rivalries, and even more universal issues like standing up for your friends. There is no melodrama, however. Monologues are absent. By definition, the show is a juicy slice of life.

Jitendra Kumar is, of course, the show’s star and he carries it on his back quite ably. The actor has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, evident by his ability to hold his own against the likes of veterans like Raghubir Yadav and Neena Gupta. Chandan Roy’s Vikas and Faisal Malik’s Prahlad breathe new life into the show with their pitch-perfect acts.

It was criminal to give the amazing Neena Gupta such limited screen time as Manju Devi – every time she is on screen, she lords over everyone. In trying to infuse drama, it does at times give in to the temptation of using tired tropes like egoistic foul-mouthed politicians. It could do with fewer jokes about fasting women – why amplify it with needless humour in such a clean show?

Panchayat 2 is a worthy second season of an already good show. To say that it improves upon the first season wouldn’t be an exaggeration. It makes you laugh, it almost makes you cry, and all this while, you can feel you have seen these people and these stories somewhere. That relatability is its USP and what truly keeps the viewer engaged till the end.

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Season 2 of the Panchayat series

Deepak Kumar Mishra is the director.

 

Jitendra Kumar, Raghubir Yadav, Neena Gupta, Faisal Malik, Biswapati Sarkar, Chandan Roy, and Sanvika Sharma are among the cast members.

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Year-ender 2024 | Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant to Sobhita Dhulipala-Naga Chaitanya: Grandest celeb weddings of 2024

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17 hours ago

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December 21, 2024

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Year-ender 2024 | Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant to Sobhita Dhulipala-Naga Chaitanya: Grandest celeb weddings of 2024

Year ender 2024 | Sonakshi Sinha, Millie Bobby Brown, Keerthy Suresh, Aaliyah Kashyap and Aditi Rao Hydari, a list of celebs who got married this year. 
The year 2024 witnessed the weddings of many celebrities from India as well as from outside the country. The Ambanis, Sonakshi Sinha and Millie Bobby Brown opted for summer weddings. Many other celebrities tied the knot in December, including Sobhita Dhulipala, Keerthy Suresh, and Aaliyah Kashyap. (Also Read | Naga Chaitanya, Sobhita Dhulipala make first public appearance post wedding; visit temple with Nagarjuna. Watch)

Check out the grand weddings that took place in 2024:

1) Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant

Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani tied the knot on July 12 this year in Mumbai, as per Hindu rituals. The grand wedding ceremony was followed by a Shubh Aashirvaad ceremony on July 13, which saw the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The grand reception on July 14 was also attended by prominent figures from the entertainment industry.

Global personalities such as John Cena, Kim Kardashian, Boris Johnson and Tony Blair were also part of Anant and Radhika’s wedding functions. The high-profile wedding ceremony saw the presence of celebrities including Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas, Rajinikanth, Mahesh Babu, Yash, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Vicky Kaushal, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, and Deepika Padukone, among others.

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2) Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal

Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal got married on June 23 in the presence of their loved ones at their residence in Mumbai. It was an intimate wedding. The civil wedding was followed by a wedding bash at Bastian, which saw Saira Banu, Rekha, Salman Khan, Vidya Balan, and Siddharth Roy Kapur, among others, in attendance. Sonakshi and Zaheer dated for seven years before tying the knot.

3) Sobhita Dhulipala and Naga Chaitanya

Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita Dhulipala got married on December 4 in a traditional Telugu ceremony. The ceremony was held at the iconic Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad in the presence of close friends and family members. The couple made their relationship official in August of this year by sharing photos from their engagement ceremony.

4) Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth

Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth tied the knot in September. Aditi had shared a series of pictures on Instagram. Both the bride and groom chose ethnic outfits for their wedding. Aditi wrote in the caption, “You are my Sun, my Moon, and all my Stars… To being Pixie Soulmates for eternity…to laughter, to never growing up… To Eternal Love, Light & Magic..Mrs & Mr Adu-Siddhu.”

5) Keerthy Suresh and Antony Thattil

Keerthy Suresh and his long-time partner Anthony Tattil got married in Goa in December. The actor shared her wedding pictures after solemnising her relationship in a traditional ceremony. Keerthy took to Instagram and shared pictures from her special day. She captioned the post, “#ForTheLoveOfNyke.”

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6) Taapsee Pannu and Mathias Boe

Taapsee Pannu tied the knot with Mathias Boe in a traditional ceremony on March 23 in Udaipur, Rajasthan. The wedding was attended by their close friends and family. Anurag Kashyap, Kanika Dhillon and Pavail Gulati were among the celebrities who were part of her special day. Recently, Taapsee revealed that she had a court marriage with Mathias in December 2023. Taapsee dated Mathias for about a decade.

7) Aaliyah Kashyap and Shane Gregoire

Aaliyah Kashyap, daughter of filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and film editor Aarti Bajaj, tied the knot with longtime boyfriend Shane Gregoire on December 11. She announced her engagement to Shane, a US entrepreneur, in May 2023. The couple’s wedding reception was attended by Naga Chaitanya, Sobhita Dhulipala, Abhishek Bachchan, Agastya Nanda, Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Bobby Deol.

8) Ira Khan and Nupur Shikhare

Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan and Nupur Shikhare solemnized their relationship via a registered marriage at Taj Lands End, Bandra, in Mumbai on January 3 this year. They then tied the knot as per Christian rituals in Udaipur. After that, the newlyweds hosted a reception for Bollywood and Mumbai celebrities at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in the city.

9) Charlie Puth and Brooke Sansone

Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth married his fiancee, Brooke Sansone, in September this year, just one year after their engagement. The couple exchanged vows at his family’s estate in Montecito, California, on September 7. In a heartfelt Instagram post announcing the news, Charlie expressed his deep affection for his new bride. He shared a series of intimate photographs from the ceremony.

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10) Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi

Millie Bobby Brown married singer Jon Bon Jovi’s son, Jake Bongiovi, in an intimate ceremony in June. In October, she shared some wedding pictures on Instagram. Along with the pictures, Millie added a caption that read, “Forever and always, your wife.” Earlier in June, Millie confirmed her secret marriage to Jake.

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