Meet actor who sold cotton, earned only Rs 100 per day, later bagged famous role in this popular series, attended Cannes, his name is…

Ashok Pathak in Fukrey Returns

The much-awaited series Panchayat’s season 4 is finally coming. The trailer of the show based on the life of a remote village in Uttar Pradesh is released and is creating excitement for the fans. Meanwhile, the cast of the show will remain intact for all of whom have been entertaining fans since its first season. Panchayat’s Binod, though a small character, was successful in capturing the attention of a wide audience. What made the show impactful is its diverse cast with even the supporting characters shaping the story.  

Binod, a poor villager, is mostly seen with Bhushan, or Banrakas, played by Durgesh Kumar, and with his minimal interactions but impactful expressions has won the hearts of the audience. Ashok Pathak has made the role memorable. His journey in the world of media and television has been inspiring.  

Who is Ashok Pathak? 

Ashok was born in Bihar’s Siwan and later moved to Haryana’s Faridabad in search of work. His decision was forced by his poor financial condition due to which he started working very early in life. Ashok Pathak then started selling cotton along with his uncle. From a very small age, he used to transport cotton bundles on his bicycle to different locations from which he used to earn around Rs 100 per day.  

Later, his family also moved to Haryana for better job opportunities. They lived in Hisar. He completed class 12 and studied at a local college, which, according to him, helped in his personal transformation.  He found his passion in theatre during his college time and started participating in many cultural festivals and plays. He even dreamed of working in Bollywood. An event transformed his life when he earned Rs 40,000 from a performance at a college festival and used this amount to travel to Mumbai and pursue his dream of acting. 

He gave various auditions and bagged projects in which he played small roles but, in few years, bagged a memorable role of Binod in Panchayat. He even attended Cannes Film Festival 2025 as his film, Sister Midnight, was screened at the Directors’ Fortnight section. 

Panchayat season 4 will be released on June 24.