About four years ago, when people were still coming to terms with the pandemic-induced lockdown, Panchayat came as a breath of fresh air for audiences restricted to their homes. As the third edition is set to drop on Amazon Prime Video soon, lead actor Jitendra Kumar says the novelty factor of The Viral Fever produced show made it a success.

He explains, “The audience had not seen such a narrative in a long time. Earlier, directors and creators would make shows set in rural India. So, Panchayat brings nostalgia. With other genres, you prefer to watch when you’re alone, but Panchayat could be seen with families.”

This time around, his character, Abhishek Tripathi, gram panchayat secretary, aka Sachiv Ji, is back in the Phulera village. “After his return, the character only wants to do his work. But he gets into solving the problems of the village, so it is in a similar space,” says Kumar about the new season that also sees a new party enter the gram panchayat political space.

Even though he is essaying the character Tripathi for the third edition, Kumar shares that it requires a certain prep. He elaborates, “Before starting the new season, I revisit the previous edition and go through my favourite episodes. Of course, we also have readings and workshops before we begin shooting. We can’t perform too differently; that would make it a completely new character.”

Is the fourth season in the offing too? Kumar says that it all depends on the script. “It takes about eight months to write eight episodes, discuss with the team, incorporate changes, and lock in the final screenplay. Since there are so many actors, their dates need to be coordinated. You can’t rush with a script-driven show like Panchayat, because that would affect the quality,” he signs off.