Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam Season 1 review: When a web series set in the hinterlands of North India becomes successful, it is testimony to the good writing, direction and performances of the cast. The Viral Fever’s Panchayat series starring Jitendra Kumar was a hit with the audience who loved the various characters, the setting of Phulera, male bonding, comic instances and more. Three seasons of director Deepak Kumar Mishra’s Panchayat has now seen the Hindi series being remade in Tamil as Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam on Prime Video. (Also Read: The Night Manager nominated at 2024 International Emmy Awards, only entry from India)
Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam story
Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam is the name of the village where Siddharth (Abhishek Kumar who steps into Jitendra Kumar’s shoes) is posted as the secretary of the village panchayat office. A frustrated Siddharth sees this posting as a stop gap arrangement till he takes the CAT and gets into an IIM successfully. He lands up in the village and his experiences – some comical, some frustrating, some annoying – shows the audience how this urban man tries to navigate through the village politics and the community as a whole.
Stays true to Panchayat
The makers of Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam have remained true to Panchayat and made this series as a faithful remake except for adding local sensibilities and elements that are particular to rural Tamil Nadu. Siddharth struggles in developing a cordial relationship with the Panchayat Chairman Meenakshi Devi (Devadarshini Chetan) and her husband Meenakshi Sundaram (Chetan) thanks to a clash of egos. There are several events that show us how a village functions and how Siddharth, who is intelligent but innocent and doesn’t understand these nuances, isn’t able to digest.
For instance, there’s a ‘ghost tree’ for which the villagers demand a tube light be installed to protect them and rile up Siddharth with stories about the ghost. In another instance, a young girl attains puberty and the whole village celebrates the occasion of taking off from work. And Siddharth is asked to attend this event which he is baffled with. Yes, there is also mention of the staple drumstick sambar which is another uber Tamil reference. So how does Siddharth fit into this local, traditional community where there’s a power play at work?
Abhishek doesn’t bring the gravitas
Stand-up comic Abhishek Kumar has been cast in the main role and while his performance is good, he doesn’t bring in the gravitas that Jitendra Kumar did as Abhishek. Real-life couple Devadarshini Chetan and her husband Chetan play a reel-life couple in this series and they are apt. Again, Faisal Malik as the panchayat vice-chairman and Chandan Roy as the office assistant were stellar in Panchayat, while in Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam, Anand Sami and Paul Raj struggle to match up to them.
Niyathi Kadambi, the real-life daughter of Devadarshini Chetan and Chetan, plays their on- screen daughter as well. Since we don’t see much of Niyathi in Season 1, her acting prowess will be seen in Season 2 presumably. Wonder what the reasoning for casting the entire family on screen as a family was though.
Needed more pizzazz
Writer Balakumaran has written the series in Tamil and Naga, who has helmed numerous TV series, has directed the eight-episode series. As mentioned earlier, Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam is a decent and faithful remake of the Hindi original. The issues of women’s empowerment, village admin issues like lighting and toilets, and education are all highlighted in the series. There are no new twists or surprises in the Tamil version, which is unfortunate, as it could have added more pizzazz to the slow burner. Simplicity is the trademark of this series whether in Hindi or Tamil and Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam shows that sometimes no frills is best.