Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam remake of Panchayat web series
Director Naga does a good job in retaining the soul of Panchayat while affectively transporting the viewers into rural Tamil Nadu. The best thing about the show is that director Naga and writer Bala Kumaran don’t create a photocopy.
Starcast: Abishek Kumar, Chetan Kadambi, Devadarshini, Anand Sami, Paul Raj, Niyathi Kadambi and others
Director: Naga
Writer: Bala Kumaran
Production house: The Viral Fever (TVF)
Cinematography: Karthik Gopal
No of episodes: 8
Streaming site: Amazon Prime
Deepak Kumar Mishra’s Panchayat is one of the most acclaimed web shows that has come out in the recent past. The portrayal of rural life in the remote village of Pulera thoroughly engaged the audiences. The struggles of Jitendra Kumar’s Abhishek Tripathi in acclimatizing himself and the eventual bond with locals particularly the ones essayed by Raghubir Yadav, Neena Gupta, Faisal Malik and Chandan Roy was wonderfully written and enacted. The three seasons of Panchayat also addressed important social issues like superstitions with no melodrama. The earthy humor left many viewers in splits. To remake a show like this already watched and appreciated by many people isn’t an easy task, but director Naga does a very efficient job. Sure, the starting episodes take a while to warm up, nevertheless Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam finds its grove soon.
The starting episodes take a while to warm up nevertheless Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam finds its grove soon.
For those who aren’t aware of the Panchayat web series the plot of this remake focuses on Siddarth (Abhisek Kumar). The series begins with his arrival, immediately the viewers feel Siddarth’s unease in coming to a village. His anxiety and suspicions are in complete odds with the villagers easy going nature. Siddarth has been posted as the village panchayat’s secretary. For the frustrated Siddarth this is a temporary job till he passes the CAT exam and enters into IIM successfully. Season 1 focuses on how Siddarth navigates village life while dealing with the people’s idiosyncrasies. He encounters peculiar problems that vary from silly to sensitive.
Much like the original a big strength of the remake is also the situational humor. Siddarth’s interactions with the villagers are often filled with exasperation. There is an equal measure of humor and pathos. Special mention must be made of the scenes where Siddarth is forced to attend family gatherings and also give away his favorite chair in a particular situation to a random groom. Siddarth’s struggles in adjusting with no social life as such give the show some of its best moments. Abhishek Kumar stepping into Jitendra Kumar’s shoes does a very fine job. He particularly stands out in the scenes where Siddarth has to show confusion and frustration.
The supporting cast also elevate the show with their powerful acts. Chetan Kadambi and Devadarshini replacing Raghubir Yadav and Neena Gupta do complete justice to their respective parts. They have a charming chemistry; their scenes together also benefit from being a real-life couple. Unlike Neena Gupta’s Manju Devi Devadarshini’s Meenakshi Devi can read and write along with putting her signature on documents. This acts as an important change from the original. What remains the same though is the unwillingness to participate in public life. However, by the end of season 1 she does become more assertive.
Chetan Kadambi and Devadarshini share a warm chemistry.
Another significant change from the original is the aspect of caste. In Panchayat the caste of Abhishek Tripathi is very evident. Him being a Tripathi becomes a major reason for Raghubir Yadav’s character to consider him as a potential groom for the daughter. But here the dynamics play out differently. Siddarth’s surname is hardly focused on. Even when someone asks him Siddarth shows a certain indifference. As a result, Chetan’s character doesn’t see him as a potential match in spite of warming up to him.
These changes aren’t just cosmetic they enhance the show in many ways. Paul Raj and Anand Sami are also competent. Paul Raj in particular shines as Siddarth’s guide, helping him in navigating the village life. Their scenes together are filled with a lot of warmth.
Paul Raj and Anand Sami are also competent
Talking about the social issues here too Naga does a fine job in subverting the original ones and making it more rooted to the specific cultural milieu. For example, in one of the episodes you have the campaign of menstruation awareness. This portion works as a tribute to Arunachalam Muruganantham popularly known as Padman.
One of the minor issues with the series is the hype build around the village head’s daughter. The eventual pay off to this in the final sequence is quite underwhelming. The conversation between Abhishek Kumar and Niyathi Kadambi falls flat. Some of the jokes also could have done with better writing. In the first episode there is a fair amount of toilet humor which could have been avoided.
To conclude Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam is a fitting remake in spite of the minor niggles.
