Panchayat Season 4 review: Phulera is back, and so are its people. But the new season of Panchayat, now streaming on Prime Video, trades its trademark simplicity and emotional depth for a more politically driven plot. As the villagers gear up for gram panchayat elections, the charm that once defined the series begins to fade under the weight of stretched storytelling and scattered subplots.
At the centre of this chapter is the turf war between Manju Devi and Kranti Devi—two women figureheads whose husbands, Pradhan ji (Raghubir Yadav) and Bhushan aka Banrakas (Durgesh Kumar), are the ones really steering the campaign. The cooker (Kranti Devi’s symbol) and lauki (Manju Devi’s party emblem) become battleground motifs, while election gimmicks—from samosas-for-votes to seviyan-fed poaching—paint a satirical but sometimes repetitive picture of rural politics.
Still, there are glimmers of Panchayat’s original wit. A “Hi” text in the men’s WhatsApp group leads to an impromptu drinking session featuring Pradhan ji, Sachiv ji (Jitendra Kumar), and the ever-heartbreaking Prahlad-cha (Faisal Malik). Pradhan ji’s infamous “Aye sasur!” makes a hilarious real-time comeback, and subtle food cues—like the quality of laddoos and ghee—become clever election barometers.
CAT, Campaigns, and Cracks in Chemistry
The long-awaited development between Abhishek and Rinky finally arrives, but the execution feels rushed and underwhelming. A romantic walk is quickly cut short by a CAT exam dilemma and the looming possibility of political loss. “Phir toh resign karke nikal loonga,” Abhishek says, to which Rinky responds with silence and a walkout—signaling more unresolved tension than romance.
The long-awaited development between Abhishek and Rinky finally arrives, but the execution feels rushed and underwhelming. (screenshot)
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The script also misses several emotional beats. The friendship between Sachiv ji, Vikas, Pradhan ji, and Prahlad, once a core strength of the show, gets minimal attention. A brief subplot involving Prahlad’s grief resurfaces, but lacks the depth and pacing to land impactfully.
Meanwhile, anticipated confrontations—like the showdown with Vidhayak ji or the mystery of who shot Pradhan ji in Season 3—are left hanging. Secondary characters such as Binod and Madhav get expanded screen time but aren’t given arcs rich enough to carry narrative weight.
Sunita Rajwar’s Kranti Devi starts off with promise but is confined to exaggerated outbursts. Even Neena Gupta’s Manju Devi, while sharp as ever, gets sidelined in favour of surface-level strategy plotting.
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Final Verdict: A Show At A Crossroads
Panchayat Season 4 is a mixed bag—its cast remains stellar, and isolated scenes still carry emotional heft and humour. But the season lacks the narrative discipline and nuance that made earlier installments so beloved. It leans heavily on nostalgia and symbolism (lauki vs cooker, laddoos vs kachoris), but doesn’t dig deeper into what makes Phulera tick.
The eighth and final episode hints at a fifth season, and if the series hopes to reclaim its former glory, it needs to refocus on the heart of the story: the people, their bonds, and the small moments that once made Panchayat resonate far beyond village borders.
