So it was apparent that the second season was eagerly anticipated, with high hopes. 

As we returned to Phulera, we saw that the village had not changed much. Abhishek (Jeetendra Kumar), a city dweller and Panchayat secretary, still hopes to clear the CAT exam to get out of the village. Meanwhile, Pradhanji (Raghubir Yadav), the deputy Prahlad (Faisal Malik), and the office assistant Vikas (Chandan Roy), his comrades in the banal rural milieu, are all the same.

While the series’ humour, nostalgia, and conflicts are all fairly consistent, this time the show found a way to make us cry harder than it made everyone laugh. It ends on a sombre note, with scenes packed with hard-hitting truths that are difficult not to be moved by.

Disclaimer: Spoilers Ahead.

Amid all laughs and giggles, Prahlad gets a phone call with the devastating news that not only crushes his heart but also the hearts of the viewers.

Prahlad had just sent his son, Rahul, off to serve at the border in an earlier episode, but little did he imagine that his child would return to his village wrapped in a flag this time. The scenes following his son’s last rites are weighty enough to bring lumps to your throat, despite the fact that the characters have almost no dialogues.

It goes without saying that an occurrence like this is dealt with utmost gravity, and we’ve all seen such moments a million times on screen. With their approach, however, the creators of Panchayat were able to brilliantly stand out from the mass.

The gravity of the situation is progressively built up by characters who are unrelated to the plot, offering us a third-person perspective. The show offers the outsider’s point of view before delving into the state of the grief-stricken single father. The death of a martyr is viewed from various angles, one of which considers it to be the most tragic loss of a parent. The person may feel tremendous pride for his sacrifice, but he or she must eventually return to their empty home.

Despite the fact that the entire village attends Rahul’s final rituals, Prahlad’s pals hold his hand when he is unable to burn the pyre, he is the one who will bear the brunt of the grief.

In the following shots, he is seen sitting in his empty house, which encapsulates his loneliness and sorrow.

In our films and shows, death is frequently addressed in a range of ways. While some portray the void in a stoic tone, others follow the formula of over-dramatic scenes with people wailing in anguish. The makers of this series keep things rather simple, with emotions that are considerably more relatable.

Prahlad breaks down while being comforted by his pals, emphatically saying that he is now completely alone in the world. 

Rather than pushing the characters to bury their emotions or drink to get over the tragedy since they are men, the entire group is allowed to express their feelings.

The ending scene’s brilliance comes in its realistic depiction of a personal tragedy, as well as a refreshing take on male emotions. For years, we have lived with the notion of “mard ko dard nahi hota” thanks to Bollywood. But scenes like these tend to shatter stereotypes and prove that it is okay for men to express their agony, grief, and loss.