Remember the early days of streaming shows in India? When the term web series had not even been invented. Those were the times when platforms did not exist, and shows largely streamed for free on YouTube. The idea was simple – tell niche, rooted, relatable stories that cannot find a space on the big screen. That is how Indian streaming began before the big stars and bigger shows co-opted it. But despite the proliferation of India’s web shows, a few titles have managed to keep the OG dream alive. And nothing exemplifies that quite like Panchayat, the flag-bearer of Indian streaming’s relatability and rootedness. As the show is set to return for a season 4 (no mean feat in the Indian setting), we look at why Panchayat is important in India’s streaming landscape. (Also read: Panchayat season 4 officially announced: Fans excited as Prime Video announces release date of Jitendra Kumar’s cult hit)
What Panchayat’s continued success signifies
Indian OTT generally does not do seasons 4. There are films that have done four parts (or even five). But shows stop short. Even iconic titles like Sacred Games and Mirzapur have been limited to two or three seasons. Sustainability on Indian OTT requires a tricky balance between popularity and affordability. In short, a show must have a small enough scale that multiple seasons can be mounted, and yet it must be able to reach out to enough people that the platform can justify bringing it back year after year. Panchayat has managed to hit that sweet spot perfectly.
It began as an innovative, slice-of-life concept that nobody expected to become the cult classic it has today. The TVF show boasts of a strong cast in Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, and Raghuvir Yadav, but none of them were the box office draws that often times makers vie for. But then, true to the TVF way, Panchayat focused on storytelling and narrative to hook the audience, rather than any stardom.
The first season’s success could have been dismissed as a fluke, but everything since then has denied that claim. Panchayat’s continued success shows that there is still space for a good story in the minds of the Indian audience. Makers, critics, and even stars often lament that good stories do not find audiences. Pictures of empty theatres screening award-winning films are juxtaposed with the gargantuan collections of bang average films to drive home this point. This indictment of the audience may not be without merit, but then how do you explain Panchayat. The show has topped viewership charts every season, and manages to permeate deeper into the pop culture with each passing year.
The USP of Panchayat
One may wonder what makes Panchayat so successful. The relatability and rootedness that exist on the show have been ingredients in other titles, too. But Panchayat has married that with timeliness. Barring the second season, which was delayed by the pandemic, the show has managed to return within 15-18 months almost every time. By July, three seasons of Panchayat would have been released since the last Stranger Things episode streamed. While many other shows make the audience wait, Panchayat’s makers ensure that a quick turnaround time respects the audience’s anticipation.
The fourth season will stream next month on Amazon Prime Video. We can all expect newer memes, some innovative storytelling, and possibly Sachiv Ji finally finding his calling. But all that is speculation. What’s for sure is that viewers will find entertainment, unfiltered, raw, and desi – exactly what Indian OTT had originally promised a decade ago.
