Directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra and written by Chandan Kumar, Panchayat 2 intricately weaves the tale of Abhishek Tripathi, an urban graduate reluctantly embracing the role of secretary at a decrepit panchayat office in the remote fictional village of Phulera.
The closing ceremony of IFFI 2023 saw Persian film Endless Borders winning the Best Film Award. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Ayushmann Khurrana presented the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award to Hollywood legend Michael Douglas.
A new award category was introduced at IFFI this year and the second season of The Viral Fever's (TVF) acclaimed show Panchayat received the inaugural IFFI Best Web Series (OTT) Award.
Praising Shetty for putting across a very important story in 'Kantara', the Jury in its citation, noted, "The film, though rooted in its own culture of the forest demons, reaches out to audiences regardless of culture and social status."