Panchayat Season 4 Review: A Familiar Village with Fading Charm
Panchayat Season 4, streaming on Amazon Prime Video since June 24, 2025, brings us back to the quaint village of Phulera, but this time, the journey feels more like a detour than a destination. As a fan of the series’ earlier seasons, I approached this one with high hopes, expecting the same blend of heartwarming simplicity, sharp humor, and relatable rural life that made the show a gem. However, while the season retains some of its signature charm, it struggles to recapture the magic of its predecessors, leaning heavily on its stellar cast to carry a narrative that feels stretched and repetitive.
Table of Contents
Story and Themes
The season dives headfirst into Phulera’s panchayat elections, pitting Manju Devi (Neena Gupta) against Kranti Devi (Sunita Rajwar) in a battle for the pradhan’s seat. The political rivalry between their camps, led by their husbands Brij Bhushan Dubey (Raghubir Yadav) and Bhushan (Durgesh Kumar), dominates the narrative. Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar), the city-bred sachiv, juggles his CAT exam preparations, a budding romance with Rinki (Sanvikaa), and the fallout of a counter-FIR tied to the dramatic events of Season 3. The show attempts to balance these threads with its trademark slice-of-life storytelling, but the focus on election drama overshadows the emotional core that once defined it.
The political plot, while realistic in depicting the pettiness and one-upmanship of village elections, feels overcooked. Episodes revolve around small incidents—distributing samosas, fixing a transformer, or an anti-corruption raid—that don’t always contribute to a larger arc. The simplicity and relatability that made earlier seasons so endearing are diluted by a heavier, sometimes murky, political tone. Moments of levity, like the “lauki” vs. “pressure cooker” poll symbols or Binod’s (Ashok Pathak) heartfelt speech on loyalty, are highlights but too sparse to sustain the show’s usual vibrancy.
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Read more →Performances
The cast remains the heart of Panchayat. Neena Gupta shines as Manju Devi, showing growth from a token pradhan to a woman asserting her agency, though her arc feels underutilized. Raghubir Yadav’s Pradhan ji is reliably compelling, blending desperation with charm, while Faisal Malik’s Prahlad delivers emotional depth, especially in moments tied to his grief. Durgesh Kumar’s Bhushan and Ashok Pathak’s Binod steal scenes with their energy and nuance, with Binod emerging as a surprising standout. Jitendra Kumar, however, feels oddly subdued as Abhishek, whose emotional unavailability—particularly in his romance with Rinki—frustrates more than it engages. Sanvikaa’s Rinki deserves more depth, as her character often feels like an afterthought.
Writing and Pacing
The writing, penned by Chandan Kumar, lacks the crispness of earlier seasons. The anthology-like quality of self-contained episodes, a strength in Seasons 1 and 2, is replaced by a dragged-out election storyline that feels like a setup for Season 5 rather than a complete chapter. Subplots, like the visit of Manju Devi’s father or the power outage, fizzle out without adding much. The humor, once a hallmark, is downplayed, with emotional beats taking precedence but not always landing with impact. The pacing suffers, with several scenes overstaying their welcome, and the editing could have been tighter to maintain momentum.
Technical Aspects
Amitabha Singh’s cinematography captures Phulera’s rustic charm, maintaining the show’s familiar aesthetic. The production design, from the panchayat office to the village lanes, feels lived-in and authentic. However, Anurag Saikia’s background score, while fitting, doesn’t stand out as it did in previous seasons, and the songs lack the memorable weight of earlier soundtracks.
What Works and What Doesn’t
The season’s strengths lie in its performances and fleeting moments of heart, like Prahlad’s quiet grief or Binod’s emotional stand during the election. The chemistry among the ensemble keeps it watchable, and the subtle nod to rural life’s quirks—like the laddoo quantity signaling election confidence—is delightful. However, the overemphasis on politics strips away the show’s innocence, and the lack of progress in key subplots, like Abhishek and Rinki’s romance or the mystery of Pradhan ji’s shooter, leaves viewers wanting. The cliffhanger ending, while setting up Season 5, feels unsatisfying, as it sidesteps closure for too many threads.
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Read more →Final Verdict
Panchayat Season 4 is like revisiting a beloved village only to find it’s lost some of its soul. The stellar cast and occasional heartfelt moments keep it afloat, but the repetitive election drama, sluggish pacing, and diminished humor make it the weakest season yet. It’s still watchable for fans, but the spark that made Phulera a paradise feels dimmer. Here’s hoping Season 5 recaptures the simplicity and joy that made us fall in love with this world.
Rating: 2.75/5
Watch it for the cast and Phulera’s lingering charm, but temper expectations for the humor and emotional highs of earlier seasons.
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