The first installment of the series, which was brought to us by Amazon Prime Video two years ago, was a hit among the audience, across all generations. The first season had raised the bar of hopes and expectations very high, and fans were eagerly waiting for the second installment. Well, not just Panchayat 2 re-created the magic of the first season, it overpowered the expectations.

While the series is loaded with humor, nostalgia, and conflicts, this time the show found a way to make us cry harder than it made everyone laugh. The ending of Panchayat 2 was quite devastating, where a tragic phone call crushes Prahlad’s heart. The last scenes were packed with hard-hitting truths that are difficult to digest. It left the audience with tears, all credit to the actors for making the viewers feel the emotion, quite significantly.

Fans on the microblogging site shared their reaction to the ending of Panchayat 2. They weren’t tired of lauding Faisal Malik, who essayed the role of Prahlad Pandey, for his raw and authentic acting. Let’s take a look at some of the reactions by Twitterati:

“No one prepared me for the final episode of Panchayat Season 2. Faisal Malik as Prahlad Pandey has my heart,” a user wrote. Another stated, “Faisal malik in the last 20 mins stole the show…TVF knows how to touch human emotions.”

A couple of users even questioned that how come “TVF is having such a authentic casting and giving quality products all time.”

In the last second episode of the series, Prahlad had sent his son, Rahul, off to serve at the border. Little did he imagine that his child would return to the village wrapped in the national flag. The scenes of his son’s last rites, which has little to almost no dialogues, are weighty enough to bring lumps to your throat.

The gravity of the scene is further enhanced by characters who are unrelated to the plot, as they offer a third-person perspective.

For the first time, we got to see a realistic depiction of a personal tragedy, which is also refreshing take on male emotions, which is contrary to “mard ko dard nahi hota.” However, the way Prahlad’s grief is depicted, his breakdown, his loneliness, it breaks stereotypes. Rather than drinking away their grief, or suppressing their emotions, Panchayat 2 sends out the message that it is okay for men to express their agony, grief, and loss.

(With inputs from agencies)